Anoma Ariyaratne Dept. of Early Childhood & Primary Education

1. Identifying Intellectual Potential During the Early Childhood Years for Maximum Development of Cognitive Abilities Anoma Ariyaratne Dept. of Early Childhood & Primary Education The Open University of Sri Lanka

2. This presentation is based on some of the findings of a major study “Identification of gifted and talented children in primary level classrooms in Sri Lanka”

3. Purpose of the study To find out the existence of gifted underachievers in Primary Level Education system in Sri Lanka, who have not given opportunities to develop their intellectual potentialities during the early childhood years.

4. Underachievement Although there is no exact definition for ‘underachievement’, it has generally been seen as a discrepancy between expected and actual performance. Otherwise, underachievement is the discrepancy between ability and actual achievement (Peters, Grager-Loidl & Supplee, 2000, p. 609).

5. ‘Invisible Gifted Under Achievers’ • The children whose potential goes unrecognized by the teacher, and often by the parents. • These children are called underserved or underrepresented invisible gifted children, rather than gifted underachievers • I.G.children can be found in any classroom.

6. Conceptual background to the study Designates the possession and use of untrained and spontaneously expressed natural abilities Giftedness: (called aptitudes or gifts), in at least one ability domain, to a degree that place an individual at least among the top 10 percent of Designates the superior mastery of systematically developed abilities (or skills) and knowledge in at Talent: least one field of human activity to a degree that place an individual at least among the top 10 percent of age peers The study was based on, Gagné’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DGMT) (Gagné,1991

7. Therefore, Students who possess Intellectual potential (cognitive abilities ) and whose potentials are not develop to academic talents are considered as Gifted Underachievers

8. The expected student population to be identified during this study • Students who show high academic achievements • Intellectually gifted students with low academic achievements (Gifted under-achievers) • “invisible under achievers”

9. Objectives of the study • To identify the academic achievement levels of students in the primary level classrooms in Sri Lanka. • To identify the Intellectually gifted students with low academic achievements in primary level classrooms. • To identify the “Invisible Under Achievers in primary level classrooms in Sri Lanka. • Todiscover the factors affecting the under-achievement

10. QUANTITATIVE qualitative Interpre–tation of entire Analysis qual. Data Analysis QUAN. Data Collection QUAN. Data Analysis qual. Data Collection • Development of • case Studies (using • & triangulating • Quan. & qual. data) • Conclusion • Recommendations Data collection under research objectives 1 – 3 Data collection under research objective – 4 • Design of the study (sequential explanatory design) • (adapted from Figure 8.4a Creswell et al. 2003, p. 225). Research Methodology(Mixed methodology)

11. Population & Sample Table 1 Illustration of the research sample

12. Research Objective 1To identify the academic achievement levels of students in the primary level classrooms in Sri Lanka. • Sample – All the students in the sample • Data collecting procedure / instrument Available achievement test marks (Sinhalese language and Mathematics) • Data analysis Marks arranged in descending order

13. Research Objective 2Identify the Intellectually gifted students with low academic achievements in primary level classrooms • Sample – All the students in the sample. • Data collecting procedure / instruments Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) test • The data collection Administered “Raven’s Standard progressive matrices” (RSPM) a non verbal test to the sample (individually) --- Pre test

14. Data Analysis • RSPM marks were arrange in descending order, students who scored at 90th percentile band, were considered as academically / intellectually Gifted. 2. The students, identified as gifted from the results of RSPM but identified as low achieving students under objective 1 were considered as gifted under-achievers.

15. Table 2 Illustration of the number of academically talented students and intellectually gifted students in each school (Out of 52 intellectually gifted students only 20 are in the academically talented pool

16. Research Objective 3 Identify the “Invisible Under Achievers in primary grades in Sri Lanka. • Sample (112 students - Control group and Experimental ) 10-15 students (from each school) of the sample used under objective 2, who were not selected as intellectually gifted were included as stage 2 sample. The marks they obtained at the above stage 1 would be considered as their pre-test marks. • Data collecting methods/ instruments Data collection method at this stage was experimental method. Experimental design Involve 2 groups. Control group and Experimental (intervention) group.

17. Experimental design Experimental group (56)-meta-cognitive intervention Control group (45) - placebo intervention • 1-2 weeks after the relevant interventions, i.e. a post-test. • Far post test - after six weeks of the post test. Data analysis • Tabulatepre-test, post-test and far post-testmarks, calculate percentilebands • The RSPM data of experimental and control groups examine by ANOVA. • Significance increased in the experimental group- indicated dynamic testing helped to identify the invisible gifted underachievers • The students who scored at or above 90th percentile band after the intervention considered as invisible gifted underachievers

18. Table 3Number of students that reached 98th, 95th, and 90th percentile bands, and the total number of students belonging to the on or above 90th percentile band in experimental group after the intervention, in each school

19. Table 4 Illustration of gifted underachievers in the sample

20. Research Objective 5Todiscover the factors affecting the under-achievement Selected underachievers as well as higher achievers were selected (randomly) and build up 13 case studies using interview data collected through interviews with their parents, teachers and the particular students.

21. CASE STUDIES

22. A gifted higher achiever I like to do art. I like to draw incidents like ‘early morning’, ‘sun rise’, as well as ‘sun set’, ‘rain’ and ‘jungle’. In addition, I like to do hand work and make new things. I can compose Sinhalese poems. I compose them at school and home (When the researcher ask him to recite a poem he has composed, he recited a poem. That poem was on some sweet little birds that come for a particular fruit. When researcher asked whether he had seen the birds, he said, ‘Yes, they come to my garden. But I have not seen the particular fruit (it is a wild fruit) but I have read in story books that these birds are fond of that fruit’.

23. Some students have shown high achievements in classroom tests, but not shown high intellectual abilities when tested with the RSPM test. These students may have received proper background to develop their average potentials to a remarkable level. This reveals that even the students with average intellectual capacities could reach high cognitive abilities when provided with conducive environment. • E.g. Student MA29

24. Findings • Characteristics of gifted under-achievers • Parental factors that affect under- achievement in children • Teacher related factors that affect under- achievement in children

25. Characteristics of gifted under-achievers • Careless in his/her schoolwork. • Very mischievous • Does whatever he/she wants • Cannot stay in one place for a long time. • Fond of creative work and drawing • Like to do reading • Very inquisitive about nature. • Questions the phenomena in nature (e.g.when it is raining.( How is it happening) • Observe things and ask questions . • Very sensitive • Like dancing & art.

26. Characteristics of gifted under-achievers • Cannot stay in one place for a long time • Disturb others • Negative attitudes towards school (e.g. school is boring) • Show disruptive behaviours • Show negative self concept. • Refuses to do studies (feel boring). • Nature lovers • Very sensitive • Like dancing & art.

27. Parental factors • Forcing the students to study for Sch. Examination not allowing them to engage in activities they like. • Parents ignorance on factors that may cause under achievements. (illnesses) • Parents less interest in studies of their children due to many reasons. • Not cooperating with the class teacher(neglecting class meetings)

28. Parental factors • Incapability of identifying the high intellectual capacities in their children through their behaviours. • Unable to find time to devote for their own children. • Not trying to understand the likes & dislikes of their children. • Parent’s behaviour that weaken the self-esteem of children

29. Teacher Related Factors • Incapability of understanding the students needs • Not motivating the students • Teachers’ lack of awareness on underachievement • Teacher’s low expectations • Rigid and teacher centered behaviours • Teachers lack of understanding behaviours of underachievers

30. Recommendations • It is very important to take precautions to avoid under-achievements of children during early childhood years • For this teachers and parents should make aware of importance of facilitating children to develop their intellectual potentials to the maximum level. • Teachers and parents should make aware on how to identify potentials in intellectual domains or any other domains through the behaviours of children.

31. Recommendations • Helping children to achieve their maximum cognitive development should be a collaborative effort of parents and teachers. • Parents should give more attention on their children’s behaviours • Parents should take more responsibility over the children’s development. • Teachers and parents should help the children to develop positive self-esteem It is not only the gifted students are under achieving, but average students are also underachieving. Should address this issue.

32. Thank you

33. Metacognition refers to learners' automatic awareness of their own knowledge and their ability to understand, control, and manipulate their own cognitive processes. • Metacognitive skills are important not only in school, but throughout life • Mumford (1986) says, - that it is essential that an effective manager be a person who has learned to learn. - He describes this person as one who knows the stages in the process of learning and understands his or her own preferred approaches to it –

35. Conceptual background to the study Gagné’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DGMT) (Gagné,1991)

36. Northern Province North Western Province North Central Province Eastern Province CentralProvince Uva Province Sabara gamuwa Province Western Province Southern Province Major Educational Regions of Sri Lanka