Gifted students' perceptions of their class activities: Differences among rural, urban, and suburban student attitudes

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in attitudes towar d classroom activities among rural, urban, and suburban gifted students. Mo re specifically, the instrument My Class Activities, designed to assess stu dents' attitudes toward their class activities with respect to Interest, Ch allenge, Choice, and Enjoyment, was used to show how gifted students from r ural schools differed from their counterparts in urban and suburban schools . Rural elementary students found their classrooms less frequently enjoyabl e than their urban and suburban peers. Rural middle school students reporte d less challenge and less enjoyment than their suburban peers. Implications of the findings for gifted students in rural settings are discussed and su ggestions for addressing these dimensions for gifted students in rural area s provided. Additionally, validity and reliability evidence is provided for My Class Activities.