Print

6 Academically Gifted African American Male College Students Robert J. Sternberg Another highly regarded scholar who has made critical contributions to the fi eld of gift ed education is Robert J. Sternberg. Sternberg’s conception of intelli- gence is based on his Beyond IQ: A Triarchic Th eory of Intelligence (1985). It is the interaction of what he refers to as three subtheories (i.e., componential, experien- tial, and contextual) that are presented to explain human intelligence. Th e com- ponential subtheory involves human analytical abilities, best measured through various psychometric tests or the completion of various academic exercises. Th e experiential subtheory reveals how individuals are able to think creatively and apply these creative thought processes to new and novel situations. Finally, the contextual subtheory provides some plausible means of viewing how individuals operate on a day-to-day basis, how they deal with mundane everyday tasks. Th ese three subtheories are respectively labeled as analytical, creative, and practical. Sternberg’s theory is viewed as being novel in its approach to identifying intel- lectual gift edness, particularly among populations of color or those who are other- wise underrepresented. According to Sternberg, intelligence is not a single thing it comprises myriad skills, both cognitive and noncognitive (Sternberg, 2007). Joseph Renzulli A model that has been central to the evolution of gift ed education has been Joseph Renzulli’s “three-ring conception of gift edness” (1986). Renzulli divided gift edness into two categories: the fi rst category was defi ned as schoolhouse gift edness — displayed through test taking abilities and high performance on stan- dardized tests. Th e second category is creative-productive gift edness , evidenced by individuals who are capable of creating or developing novel products to fi t the needs of various contexts and constituents. Renzulli asserts that it is the interac- tion between these two categories that essentially contribute to gift edness. Th ese two categories, especially the second category Renzulli outlined, con- tributed to the development of his three-ring conception of gift edness. According to this model, gift edness is composed of the interaction of three basic clusters of human traits: above-average ability, task commitment, and creativity hence, Renzulli’s model off ers yet another approach to studying gift edness from a multi- faceted perspective. Abraham Tannenbaum Abraham Tannenbaum’s (1983, 1997) psychosocial view of gift edness is pre- sented via his fi ve-factor model. Th e factors in this model include the following: (1) a “sliding scale of general intelligence, (2) exceptional special aptitudes, (3) non- intellective factors, (4) environmental factors, and (5) chance or luck” (as cited in Piirto, 1999, p. 25). Th e model is typically displayed as a fi ve-pointed star with each factor connected at the various points. According to Tannenbaum, each factor