CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS

Presenter : Nadine Ballam

‘DEFYING THE ODDS’:
Students who are gifted & talented from low socio-economic backgrounds

What are the features present in the lives of students who are gifted and talented from low socioeconomic backgrounds that serve to enhance or obstruct them from reaching their potential in regular school settings? In 2005, the Ministry of Education in New Zealand mandated that all schools must show evidence of how they cater for the needs of individuals with special abilities. This was a significant and progressive step but it brought into prominence a series of issues that have yet to be addressed. One issue which has increasingly come to the fore is to ensure that students who are gifted and talented from all social and economic backgrounds have equivalent chances of being identified and provided for. This paper considers the obstacles and challenges experienced by students from economically diverse backgrounds within the risk and resilience framework. This model suggests that human competence and adaptation are the consequences of risk and protective factors that are operating in a young person’s life, and gifts and talents have been identified as specific resilience factors. The present paper provides some preliminary insights and practical suggestions for guiding best educational practices in this area.