Meeting the Needs of Gifted Students Through the Use of Differentiated Instruction Angela Nicole Flenniken University of Saint Thomas Research Professor: Marsha Bolden, Ph. D. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the affects of differentiated instruction in meeting the social and emotional needs of Gifted and Talented students. This study goes a step farther than previous research by comparing the effects of using differentiated instruction in a regular classroom setting with gifted and non – gifted students. There is little research comparing the social and emotional well – being of Gifted and Talented students with that of their non – gifted peers. This study shows that using differentiated instruction techniques benefits Gifted and Talented students without causing harm to other students and that other students benefit from these techniques. Many gifted students do not receive the support they need in the classroom because they are more likely to pass the standardized tests, and therefore they are not receiving the full scope of their educational experience (Winebrenner & Brulles, 2012). My research addresses the problem that gifted students are not receiving adequate differentiated instruction to provide for their social and emotional needs and therefore are not reaching their full potential for productivity. My study compares gifted students with their non- gifted peers in a regular classroom setting. Students will receive lessons designed using differentiated instruction strategies for gifted students and lessons that do not involve differentiated instruction. Student engagement and teacher observation will be measured to determine the social and emotional changes in both gifted and non-gifted students. Based on previous research, I believe that gifted students who receive differentiated instruction based on their needs will be more successful academically and better equipped socially and emotionally, and that the use of this type of instruction will not negatively effect their non – gifted peers. Differentiated instruction should be an integral part of every classroom because students bring various needs and strengths to the table. One limitation is there are very few studies that compare gifted learners with non- gifted learners (Rinn, Jamieson, Gross, and McQueen, 2009). This presents a problem because it raises the question of whether schools are meeting the needs of any group of students. This also brings up another question about inconsistent methods of measuring psychological and emotional health (Peterson, 2009).  Participants in this study were fifteen gifted students who were observed in their regular classroom setting with their non-gifted peers. Students were observed during lessons that included differentiation and lessons that did not include differentiated for the purpose of comparing their social and emotional well – being.  Measures included qualitative design elements that included classroom observations, teacher surveys and student surveys.  The Design focused on the classroom observations and data collected from the surveys. Students were observed during Mathematics and Science classes. After the observation teachers completed the teacher survey and the data was collected and measured based on teacher responses. The students also completed their survey and the surveys were anonymous in order to protect their anonymity. The data from the student surveys was compared between the lessons where students received differentiated instruction and the lessons that did not utilize differentiated instruction. The Gifted and Talented students’ responses were then compared with the non-gifted students to determine if their social and emotional response to the lesson were any different.  The Data Analysis Plan utilized a Qualitative Design. I used qualitative measures to determine if differentiated instruction affected the social and emotional well – being of gifted students.  Classroom Observation Form: provided data about the design and structure of each lesson and the level of differentiated instruction that was provided.  Teacher surveys: gave additional data on the use of differentiated instruction and their feelings on using this type of instruction in their classroom. The teachers’ surveys also provided more in – depth understanding of the needs of the students and how differentiation is implemented in the classroom.  Student surveys: provided themes of positive or negative feelings in regards to the use of differentiated instruction. Classroom Observations: The data from classroom observations indicated that when students receive differentiated instruction, student engagement increases. During observations including differentiations techniques, students were engaged in discussion and behavior issues were minimal. This behavior supports this study by demonstrating that differentiation designed for gifted students will improve the students academic as well as social and emotional well – being. All students were more engaged demonstrating that non – gifted students also benefitted from differentiation. The lessons that did not include differentiated instruction had conflicting results. During observations where teachers utilized lecture or note – taking, students were on task, but they were not involved in discussion on engaged in the lesson. Students’ social and emotional responses to these alternate types of instruction were not as significant as the relationship with the teachers. Based on observation, the classroom culture of various teachers was more indicative of the students’ social and emotional well – being. Student Surveys: After completing each lesson, students were asked to complete a survey based on their feelings about the previous lesson. Table 1 presents the average survey results of students upon completing differentiated instruction activities. Table 2 presents the average student survey results of students upon completing those lessons. When comparing the Table 1 and Table 2 students do not feel that lessons utilizing other types of instruction are as challenging or require them to use critical thinking skills. Table 1 Summarized survey data supporting the use of differentiated instruction Likert Scale- 1: strongly agree, 2: agree, 3: undecided, 4: disagree, 5: strongly disagree Q1 – I had the opportunity to learn about things that I do not ordinarily study Q2 – I learned skills such as observing, hypothesizing, gathering data, and drawing conclusions. Q3 – I had the opportunity to use critical thinking skills to solve problems. Q4 – I felt challenged by the activities offered. Q5 – My class was interesting. Q6 – I enjoyed learning experiences that I had in my class. Table 2 Summarized survey data supporting the decrease in student engagement for lessons that do not Likert Scale- 1: strongly agree, 2: agree, 3: undecided, 4: disagree, 5: strongly disagree Q1 – I had the opportunity to learn about things that I do not ordinarily study Q2 – I learned skills such as observing, hypothesizing, gathering data, and drawing conclusions. Q3 – I had the opportunity to use critical thinking skills to solve problems. Q4 – I felt challenged by the activities offered. Q5 – My class was interesting. Q6 – I enjoyed learning experiences that I had in my class. Teacher Surveys: Teachers were asked to complete a survey following each lesson to determine their feelings about differentiated instruction. Major Themes Reflected in Teacher Surveys:  Differentiated Instruction is valued but they do not have time to prepare.  Professional Development for differentiation is limited or not available especially for gifted students. The data from this study indicates that there may be some correlation between the social and emotional well – being of gifted students who receive differentiated instruction based on their needs. This research supports the hypothesis that gifted students who receive differentiated instruction based on their needs will be more successful academically and better equipped socially and emotionally, and that the use of this type of instruction will not negatively effect their non – gifted peers. The results of this study support the fact that students are more actively engaged during lessons that utilize differentiated instruction. Gifted and non – gifted students reflected positive connections to lessons involving differentiated instruction. The only difference was the feelings connected to the lessons being challenging. This could be a result of teachers not be able to find appropriate materials or resources for non – gifted students when attempting to differentiate the lesson. An interesting result of this study was the social and emotional connection of students to their teacher. The teachers who use differentiated instruction on a regular basis had more student engagement during other types of instruction. This could be due to the students understanding that those teachers recognize their needs more overall and therefore are more willing to engage in other types of instruction (Peterson, 2009). When teachers design a classroom culture that values all students, gifted and non – gifted students are able to connect with the goals set forth by the teacher because they know their personal learning experience is valued (Winebrenner et al., 2012). Educators need to continue to utilize differentiated instruction in the classroom, and look for more ways to implement more differentiated activities. This study has also demonstrated the need to identify the learning needs of students and to look for ways to meet those needs on a regular basis. It is important for teachers to communicate with other teachers and parents to find ways to meet the needs of students who are struggling academically, but it is also important to ensure that we are meeting their social and emotional needs. Future Research Questions:  How can professional development better address the need for differentiated instruction?  Is there a correlation to the social and emotional well – being of students and classroom culture?  Do gifted students have different social and emotional needs than their peers? How can those needs be met? Action Planning:  Increased professional development in the area of differentiation  Mentor program for teachers to observe appropriate differentiation strategies  Advocacy for gifted students Peterson, J. (2009). Myth 17: Gifted and talented individuals do not have unique social and emotional needs. Gifted Child Quarterly, 53(280), doi: / Rinn, A., Jamieson, K., Gross, C., & McQueen, K. (2009). A canonical correlation analysis of the influence of social comparison, gender, and grade level on the multidimensional self concepts of gifted adolescents. Social Psychology Of Education, 12(2), doi: /s Winebrenner, S., Brulles, D. (2012). Teaching gifted kids in today’s classroom. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Free Spirit Publishing Inc. Abstract Introduction Methods Results Conclusion Recommendations References