Changes in math attitudes of mathematically gifted students taught in regular classroom settings from fourth to seventh grade

Despite concerns expressed in the literature for the abatement of enthusiasm for mathematics if gifted students are not challenged, there is a dearth of empirical studies about mathematics for gifted children below age twelve. The current study was designed to answer the question of whether gifted math students' attitudes declined when they were not given access to accelerative options during the later elementary years and into middle school. It was hypothesized that a decline would occur as a result of a lack of challenge. Because the body of literature on attitudes toward math is generally couched as a gender issue, gender differences were also examined.; Ample empirical evidence suggests that most children do experience a decline in enthusiasm for mathematics, which accelerates precipitously at entrance to middle school. The current study found a decline for the gifted students, but it was less severe than that found in the general population, and was off-set by increases in other mediational factors—factors which also declined for the general population during these years. The hypothesis—that gifted math students may experience a serious decline in their attitudes toward math when there is no acceleration of their math curriculum during the later elementary and early middle school years—was not supported.; However, some patterns emerged which suggested that concerns in the literature are not completely misplaced. Teacher's attitudes toward the gifted student were less favorable than would be predicted by the students' abilities and paralleled students' attitudes toward the psycho-social value of success in mathematics and of the usefulness of mathematics in their lives. The gifted students failed to gain confidence in their ability to do math, and their anxiety generally increased as they moved through the grades. Both patterns raise questions about the wisdom of failing to provide challenge for these students as soon as their abilities can be identified, both for the fulfillment of the individual child, and for the psycho-social climate which might develop if success and talent in math were more publicly acknowledged. Anecdotal evidence in the literature for elementary aged students suggests they respond with enthusiasm and increased confidence to accelerative options. Finding the opposite pattern, albeit still at a more favorable level than for the general population, suggests harm may be resulting from lack of acceleration.; Gender discrepancies were similar to those in previous studies. Boys held much more stereotypical views of math than girls, for all age and ability levels. For other attitude variables, at most grade and ability levels girls held a less favorable view (not necessarily reaching significance) than boys. Girls increased their attitudes until fifth grade, when a decline began for the general population and middle-high ability high girls. However, high-high ability girls developed attitudes which were more favorable than the high-high ability boys' when they reached seventh grade. This finding, previously unreported, suggests some possible interventions which might be helpful to less able girls, to maintain or increase their fifth-grade favorable attitudes.; An additional outcome was establishing an adaptation of the Fennema Sherman Math Attitude Scale (1976) as a valid measure for use with high ability later elementary and middle school students.