Parental Environment in Families with Gifted and Nongifted Children

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study was to characterize the parental environment of families of gifted children in Israel by comparing it to that of families of average children. A questionnaire providing descriptive information was completed by 79 families whose children were not defined as gifted and who had not been admitted to the Young Persons' Institute for the Promotion of Art and Science (YPIPAS) and by 64 families whose children were defined as gifted and had been admitted to YPIPAS. The questionnaire included the following variables: socioeconomic status, environmental stimuli, atmosphere in the home, parents' academic achievements, diversity of parents' interests, parents' personality traits, cognitive interaction between parents and children, affective interaction between parents and children, and parents' attitudes toward their children' intelligence. Results showed significant differences between the groups for environmental stimuli, parents' academic achievements, cognitive interaction, parents' attitudes toward their children' intelligence, and parents' personality traits (assertiveness, self-confidence, and liberalism). The purpose of this study was to characterize the parental environment of three groups: parents with no gifted children (Group A); parents with one gifted child (Group B); and parents with two or more gifted children (Group C). The variables assessed were based on those that showed significant differences in a previous study conducted at the Young Persons' Institute for the Promotion of Art and Science (Landau & Weissler, 1993), namely, environmental stimuli afforded the child in the home, cognitive interaction between the parents and the children, and parents' attitudes toward their children' intelligence. The variable of authoritarianism was also included. In Israel, 29 mothers and fathers in Group A, 35 in Group B, and 31 in Group C completed a questionnaire constructed for the study. The results confirmed the significant differences found in the earlier study. In addition, fathers in families with two or more gifted children differed significantly from those in the other two groups on authoritarianism.