ACADEMIC AND PSYCHOSOCIAL APPREHENSIONS OF TEACHERS AND TEACHER TRAINEES TOWARD THE EDUCATIONAL ACCELERATION OF GIFTED-CHILDREN

The academic acceleration of young, gifted children in school is viewe d with suspicion by many educators in spite of a great deal of researc h indicating positive effects on achievement and few if any negative e ffects on social and emotional adjustment. In the current study, attit ude toward acceleration for gifted children was measured in a group of 152 experienced teachers and a group of 140 teacher trainees near the end of their academic studies. Respondents were moderately positive t hough relatively conservative in their views about acceleration, and e xpressed greater concern about the social and emotional effects than a bout the academic effects. The apprehensions of the teachers and teach er trainees, though based on well-intentioned, common sense beliefs, a ppear unfounded in terms of recent research.