Abstract:
Gifted adults are a growing area of interest but the area
lacks a coherent research framework. This qualitative focus group study
sought to identify priority issues for research with gifted adults, from the
perspectives of adults who self-identify as gifted. Fifteen people between
the ages of 18 and 53 from eight different countries participated in four
online focus groups. Transcripts and video data were thematically
analyzed using the perspective of social justice. The strong central theme
was that dominant discourses around giftedness do not reflect many of the
lived experiences of gifted adults. Three subthemes tell how current
research practices may perpetuate a stereotype that disregards key aspects
of participants’ experiences of being gifted adults. New directions for
research that is responsive to the identified needs and issues are proposed.
