PERENNIAL DEBATES AND TACIT ASSUMPTIONS IN THE EDUCATION OF GIFTED-CHILDREN

For many years, educators of the gifted have debated topics central to the field such as definition, identification, and curriculum (Getzels & Dillon, 1973). This paper explores the possible relationships betwe en gifted educators' periodic debates and the philosophical war among advocates of differing perspectives of social science research. The au thors discuss how the acceptance of a particular mode of inquiry embed s tacit ideas into the debate that make resolution difficult. The taci t assumptions of three modes of disciplined inquiry (empirical-analyti c, interpretive, and transformative) are presented in conjunction with the accompanying reformulation and reconceptualization of issues (def inition, identification, and curriculum) that occur with each mode of inquiry.