PARENTAL ENVIRONMENT IN FAMILIES WITH GIFTED AND NONGIFTED CHILDREN

The purpose of this study was to characterize the parental environment of families of gifted children in Israel by comparing it to that of f amilies of average children. A questionnaire providing descriptive inf ormation was completed by 79 families whose children were not defined as gifted and who had not been admitted to the Young Persons' Institut e for the Promotion of Art and Science (YPIPAS) and by 64 families who se children were defined as gifted and had been admitted to YPIPAS. Th e questionnaire included the following variables: socioeconomic status , environmental stimuli, atmosphere in the home, parents' academic ach ievements, diversity of parents' interests, parents' personality trait s, cognitive interaction between parents and children, affective inter action between parents and children, and parents' attitudes toward the ir children's intelligence. Results showed significant differences bet ween the groups for environmental stimuli, parents' academic achieveme nts, cognitive interaction, parents' attitudes toward their children's intelligence, and parents' personality traits (assertiveness, self-co nfidence, and liberalism).