Program
Education K-12 M.A.
Number of Pages
58
Year Approved
2024
First Advisor
Westerlund, Ruslana
Second Reader
Lisa Silmser
Abstract
For many years in the United States of America, as the number of students who speak a language other than English in the home has increased, the representation of these students in gifted and talented programs has been lacking. Research shows that although close to ten percent of all students are multilingual learners, typically only 2-4 percent of these students are represented in gifted programs. Since the percentage of gifted students overall is the same across all languages and cultures, it would make sense that the percentages of gifted students would be representative of that same percentage, however, there is a consistent disparity of identification and placement of English learners in gifted programs. This literature review seeks to understand the context and reasons behind the well documented underrepresentation as well as examine how certain school districts have found proven ways to increase the participation of gifted language learners in gifted and talented education and how these programs and ideas can be replicated. The vital role of the classroom teacher in the identification, nomination, screening, development and placement of gifted English language learners in appropriate levels of high potential courses is addressed as an essential component of needed movement towards a more inclusive, culturally and linguistically diverse field of gifted and talented education.
Degree Name
Education K-12 M.A.
Document Type
Masterʼs thesis
Recommended Citation
Webber, C. J. (2024). Underrepresentation of English Language Learners in Gifted and Talented Education [Masterʼs thesis, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/1119
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