SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND BEHAVIORAL-ADJUSTMENT OF ACCELERATED STUDENTS,STUDENTS IN GIFTED CLASSES, AND REGULAR STUDENTS IN 8TH GRADE

This study investigated differences in the social, emotional, and beha vioral adjustment of gifted and regular eighth-grade students. Three g roups were identified: (a) gifted students who entered school early or skipped at least one grade K-7, (b) students enrolled in eighth-grade gifted classes, and (c) regular eighth-grade students. Data were self -reported in the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) (Ingels et al., 198 9). Results indicated that accelerated students and students in gifted classes had better perceptions of their social relationships and emot ional development and tended to have fewer serious school behavior pro blems than regular students. Contrary to commonly held beliefs, most s tudents who entered school early or skipped elementary grades did not report unusual social isolation or experience profound emotional diffi culties. They had serious behavioral problems less frequently than reg ular students.