Files
Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the lives and experiences of gifted adolescent girls through qualitative inquiry. Qualitative inquiry with adolescents is challenging, especially in educational research in which they see adults as the gatekeepers of right and wrong answers. To help diminish power dynamics, group interviews are a common method for inquiry; however, the intense desire to fit in with a group of peers (Erickson, 1980) and the risks associated with confidentiality can influence how adolescents respond in a group setting. The first study summarizes common obstacles to group interviews with adolescents followed by strategies qualitative researchers can employ to foster richer meaning making among adolescent participants. Implications for researchers and teachers of qualitative research methods are addressed. For many gifted and high ability adolescent girls, navigating the social terrain of peer acceptance in classrooms can be challenging. The second study employed some of the suggested strategies discussed in the first study to understand the influence of an all-girls advanced math class from the perspectives of a class of gifted adolescent girls and their teacher. Data included student written reflections, two group interviews with students, two interviews with the teacher, and two small group follow-up discussions with the students. Through deductive and inductive analyses, I identified four key themes of influence. The findings indicate that single-sex classes may benefit gifted girls, especially in STEM classes, by supporting meaningful engagement in the classroom. The chapter begins with a poetic transcription that I composed, based on the work of Glesne (1997), representing the participants collective voice. Inspired by narrative inquiry methodology, the purpose of the third study was to explore how gifted adolescent girls experience giftedness and belonging through the perspectives of their mothers. Participants were three mothers who were invited to be shared narrative inquirers and co-negotiators of their daughters narratives. Their perspectives provided unique insight that can be difficult to capture through direct inquiry with adolescents. Three narratives are presented that demonstrate the complexity of how giftedness can influence a girls sense of belonging, focusing primarily on the social landscapes of adolescence and school.