DISCOVER: Concurrent Validity, Gender Differences, and Identification of Minority Students

Abstract

This study used the Raven Progressive Matrices to examine the concurrent validity of the DISCOVER assessment. It also investigated gender differences. A secondary purpose was to determine the effectiveness of the DISCOVER assessment in reducing the problem of minority students being under-represented in programs for the gifted. The sample consisted of 257 kindergarten, second, fourth, and fifth graders, predominantly Navajo Indians and Mexican Americans. The results provided some evidence for concurrent validity and showed that, through the use of the DISCOVER assessment, 22.9% of minority students were identified as gifted. A MANOVA (gender by grade level) resulted in the absence of significant main effects for both gender and grade, as well as for gender by grade interaction. Chi-square tests revealed no overall significant gender differences in identification. The findings promote the use of the DISCOVER assessment for identification purposes.