Report 2: Gifted Students’ Reference Point for Success

Sonia Saitawdekar

Introduction

There is a high chance that “Talented and Gifted” or “TAG” sounds familiar to most
people. During the earlier years of student education, the presence of some sort of “gifted”
program is common. It usually shows up in elementary school, but can bleed into middle and
high school as well. The official (federal) definition for gifted students is “Students, children, or
youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative,
artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services and
activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities”
(NAGC, n.d.). States and districts may use this definition, or a similar one, when choosing who
to label as “gifted” in their classrooms. These students typically receive extra or higher-level
assignments to better challenge them.
The issue is that being labeled in this way from a young age could affect your mentality
later in life. Firstly, it can lead to high expectations by parents or teachers, which can be
internalized, that may or may not be met. If they are met too easily, that means those students
don’t experience any academic struggle, so when they do run into hardships later in life they
don’t know how to overcome them.
This is an important topic because a common experience when growing up is determining
what the definition of “success” is for yourself. If gifted students set a high bar of academic or
professional success based on their childhood experience, they may be repeatedly disappointed
and become less motivated.

Game Concept

In class, we learned that judgements are often relative to a reference point. For example,
if two identical houses have different listing prices, the higher listing price will more likely result
in a higher sale price. This is because the higher listing price sets a higher reference point for
offers from potential buyers.
Reference points are relevant to this topic because they can skew one’s mentality about
success. An internalized standard of success can be created based on either prior experiences or
internal or external expectations. Gifted students that are used to easy achievements may have a
higher reference point for success than other students who struggled more earlier in life. Let’s
say “Ally” grew up as a gifted student whose definition of success was getting 100% without
much effort. On the other hand, “Bella” is used to getting a 90% after overcoming hurdles related
to the assignment. If Ally and Bella both receive a 95% grade on a project, 95% might seem like
a failure in Ally’s mind but may seem amazing to Bella due to their different reference points.
Furthermore, even if Ally ended up with 100%, any obstacles during the project may seem more
dramatic if she is not used to them and could result in the mindset that it was still not a complete
success.
Another related class concept is exploit vs. explore. We know that exploiting means to
continue to use your knowledge to get a known reward while exploring means to try something
new which could be high risk or high reward. Exploration is occasionally necessary to make sure
you are not missing out on a potentially better opportunity. If we have the time and resources, we
should explore more to expand our arsenal, but if time is limited it is often better to exploit
known information since new information cannot even be used for long.
Gifted students are told that they have done something right early in life, so they continue
to pursue that particular action. They exploit more when younger since they feel like they are on
the right track and lose years of potential exploration. Exploration can also tell you what paths
not to take and how to avoid them. If gifted students never get this opportunity, they have more
difficulty later in life when running into those unfamiliar obstacles. Without practicing
exploration earlier, it feels more daunting to waste time exploring later when time is more
limited.

The Main Course

The environment and expectations created after being labeled as a gifted student creates a
high reference point for success which decreases your achievement later in life. This includes
difficulty in trying new things, a comparison mentality, and a fear of failure.
To start off, gifted students have a harder time adjusting to new things. In the book
Originals: How Conformists Move the World, the author notes that practice makes perfect, but it
doesn't help with creativity and new innovation. This means gifted children don’t achieve
amazing things later in life since they are stuck chasing conventional paths to success (Grant &
Sandberg, 2017). They might be used to having a clear definition of success (such as what got
them the “gifted” label, something like getting a high score on a test). Mimicking that in the real
world, they try to achieve what other “succeeding” people have already done rather than pursue
their own passions. This could lead to many missed opportunities. At some point, a writer needs
to move people with new ideas, not just repeat inspirational but old ones. Additionally, gifted
students are often comfortable enough with their current achievements so they avoid the effort
needed to pursue new things they might not be good at. People who grew up gifted have
personally reflected on it, and one notes that “enough things came easily to me that if I wasn’t
good at it, I simply didn’t do it” while another says “the fact that I can be immediately good at
something has left me as a jack-of-all-trades and master of none” (Almukhambetova &
Hernández-Torrano, 2020). Some gifted students continue to exploit their skills rather than
exploring new things, which limits their potential in the long-term. Others end up testing the
waters but don’t thrive in any area due to not pursuing it past the easier, basic level. Furthermore,
in a work environment where previously gifted students need to learn new skills, they often
become impatient with the learning curve needed before reaching full efficiency (Roedell, 1984).
When you get a job, there are usually specialized tasks you need to learn, so it’s likely not
anything familiar and therefore needs to be practiced. Not proving yourself right away might be
unusual when things came easily in the past. Therefore, it could create feelings of doubt in one’s
abilities, especially when others are already thriving in that field. Success is more difficult to
reach in unfamiliar situations, so instead of pushing through that uncertainty, the situations end
up being avoided.
The reason that a gifted student was labeled as gifted is that they show high achievement.
Knowing when achievement is “high” means knowing that it is better than the average.
Therefore, the first thing gifted students are told is that they are better than their peers in some
way. This leads to a comparison mentality and the need to always be the “best.” When this
doesn’t happen, it can cause students to feel unmotivated since they don’t think they can
“succeed” in the task. One individual recalled that once they were in a college environment with
students who had all been the “best” in their respective high schools, the realization that there
were others who were “better” than them “automatically dulled some of [their] drive to succeed”
(Jones, 2019). Just the idea that their definition of success might not be reached can significantly
decrease their motivation and their willingness to put in effort that they think might be a waste of
time. This is supported by research that tells us a gifted student’s habit of comparing their
academic achievement to that of other peers and their fear of not being able to outperform them
leads to underachievement in a university environment (Almukhambetova &
Hernández-Torrano, 2020). They are focusing on if they are better than the people around them
rather than focusing on how to better themselves as much as possible, which ends up holding
them back. Their definition of success is skewed, so they might not feel satisfied with the
achievements they do have. A study notes the “Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect” which means that a
gifted student in a diverse group has higher self-esteem and confidence then one in a group with
similar talents to themselves (Papadopoulos, 2021). Being labeled as “gifted” is like being
labeled as “special” in comparison to everyone else which boosts confidence. However, when
comparing yourself to everyone else does not reveal a “more talented” ego-boost, all that
confidence comes crumbling down. Comparison results in a loss of self-esteem that can diminish
hope and cause underachievement.
When someone is told that they are doing great, they don’t want that taken away from
them. Thus, another hurdle gifted students often face is perfectionism and a fear of failure.
Children that start off with advanced intellectual skills end up with vulnerabilities later in life
that include perfectionism due to setting very high standards and expecting limited effort. Their
“inner drive to be perfect” leads to a perception of failure even if “external evidence indicates
high level success” (Roedell, 1984). Students are constantly trying to keep a perfect image so
they fail to recognize what they have actually accomplished. One expert in this field notes that
for gifted students, when things get too difficult, the fear of failure leads to students putting in a
low level of effort (Delisle, 2020). If they purposefully don’t put in effort, they can use that as an
excuse for the outcome rather than diminishing their perception of their own intellect. In the end,
it’s just a way of dissociating with what they perceive as failure rather than embracing and
improving their weaknesses. Unfortunately, a lot of this fear of failure can originate from outside
sources. Research indicates that parental pressures can be internalized and lead to self-pressure to
perform highly and equate self-worth with academics (Almukhambetova & Hernández-Torrano,
2020). Students relate success to intellectual achievements, and it usually isn't possible to be the
best in every academic area. Perfectionism is a learned and false mindset, since the truth is no
one is perfect. It can only lead to dissatisfaction with one’s own success since it isn’t reaching the
expected level.
Gifted students start with a high reference point for success which was defined at a young
age. When getting older, this leads to difficulty with navigating new situations, automatic
comparison that is not a valid measure of success, and perfectionism that causes disappointment.
Together, these negative emotions and lack of exploration all lead to underachievement.

Discussion

Success is defined by yourself, meaning you can determine when you choose to be
satisfied with your own achievements. Gifted students tend to have a high reference point for
success which emphasizes low effort, high academic achievements, and minimal mistakes. As
they get older, tasks get more complicated, so getting close to that high bar is more difficult. This
means they will rarely be satisfied, which affects their motivation and drive to keep trying.
Thus there are a couple questions we should consider: What are the pros and cons of
being “gifted” when younger? And relatedly, does this label actually lead to short term gains but
long term hardships?
There are benefits to being labeled “gifted.” That feeling of being special pushes students
to live up to their label and try their best in school. It also helps parents identify their children’s
strengths so they can put them in environments to cultivate those strengths. Additionally,
educators can give those students more challenging material to make sure that what they are
learning is mentally stimulating.
On the downside, being stuck with that label develops a long term mentality of what
success might look like. Getting high grades (achieving things to their fullest capacity) is easier
when younger and more difficult when entering college. In a work environment, there may or
may not be clear measures of achievement like grades, so individuals may not understand how
they are doing, which could be stressful. As you get older, there are also a lot of new experiences
that may seem much more daunting when everything came so easily before.
 We can also acknowledge that this is not necessarily true for all gifted students, since
they could end up developing a different definition for success due to other factors in their lives.
However, research has shown that it is a trend, which is why we should pay attention to the data
and make changes accordingly.
The world has plenty of amazing hard workers, but what we need is more innovators that
can conceptualize new ideas to improve society. Labeling students plucks out those talented
individuals from the normal exploratory path to success and puts them on a path of chasing
well-defined success. We are losing so much potential and creativity by trying to shape students
from a younger age rather than letting them find their own passions. So, this is not only
hindering the individual and harming their future, but it’s affecting their entire community.
Furthermore, the students that are not chosen for this label are indirectly affected as well, since
even if they are putting in the same (or more) effort, it's still not good enough. This can be a very
demotivating experience that leads to the mindset that “it’s ok if I didn’t do great on this, I’m not
one of the smart kids.”
To fix this cycle, we need to let students explore without strict guidance so they can
define their own success. We need to let them make mistakes at a young age so they can learn
how to overcome large obstacles in the future. We need to stop emphasizing scores and start
emphasizing effort. And the first step to doing all of this is to get rid of “gifted.”
Sources

Almukhambetova, A., & Hernández-Torrano, D. (2020). Gifted Students’ Adjustment and

Underachievement in University: An Exploration From the Self-Determination Theory
Perspective. Gifted Child Quarterly, 64(2), 117–131.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986220905525

Delisle, J. (2020, March 11). Why Your Gifted Child Isn’t Living Up to Expectations (And What
You Can Do About It). Free Spirit Publishing Blog. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from
https://freespiritpublishingblog.com/2015/07/20/why-your-gifted-child-isnt-living-up-to-
expectations-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/amp/

Grant, A., & Sandberg, S. (2017). Originals: How Conformists Move the World. Penguin
Publishing Group.

Jones, H. M. (2019, May 29). I Grew Up Gifted, But My Life Didn’t Turn Out The Way I
Expected. CBC. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from
https://www.cbc.ca/parents/learning/view/i-grew-up-gifted-but-my-life-didnt-turn-out-the
-way-i-expected

NAGC. (n.d.). Frequently Asked Questions about Gifted Education. National Association for
Gifted Children. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from
https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/frequently-asked-questions-about-
gifted-education

Papadopoulos, D. (2021). Examining the Relationships among Cognitive Ability,

Domain-Specific Self-Concept, and Behavioral Self-Esteem of Gifted Children Aged 5–6
Years: A Cross-Sectional Study. Behavioral Sciences, 11(7), 93.
https://doi.org/10.3390/bs11070093

Roedell, W. C. (1984). Vulnerabilities of highly gifted children. Roeper Review, 6(3), 127–130.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02783198409552782
Reflection

I personally felt connected to this topic, since it's related to my own experiences. I grew
up as a gifted student in elementary school, was in the “summa” program in middle school (had
to get a certain score on a test to get in), and took lots of AP classes in high school. I feel like
being in an environment of people that always strived for the highest possible achievements
greatly affected my mindset about what it means to be successful. In elementary school, they
split up students by reading level and I remember feeling bad and even embarrassed when I
wasn’t in the highest one. In 8th grade, my cohort of “summa” students created a pre-calculus
math class that didn’t exist before by pushing the teachers to provide the highest level of math
possible. In high school, the number of AP classes (and AP tests) that you were taking was
almost like a measure of intellect, which led to me taking 5 AP classes (and 7 AP tests) my
junior year. Back then, since the people around me were acting similarly, it seemed normal. It
wasn’t until I got to college and talked to my friends that I realized that it was a very extreme
environment. I also think that it affected my college experience since I was used to receiving
high grades, so I put a lot of emphasis on grades, meaning I put a lot of work into assignments.
That is something I hope to improve. Furthermore, everyone around me aims for top tech
companies like Microsoft or Google, but I am realizing that those places are not as appealing to
me and don't reflect my goals, so I shouldn’t feel bad about not at least trying to apply (which is
difficult when those people are constantly being praised). On top of all this, my parents and
friends have their own opinions of what success means that continually influence my own
reference point and make me doubt if I am doing enough.
During my research, I was surprised with how many sources had similar findings about
this topic. I most appreciated the source with personal reflections from people who grew up with
the “gifted” label, since it was surprising how much I related to some of the conclusions that they
had. I also thought it was interesting how many articles aimed towards parents of gifted students
popped up that would explain how to deal with potential behaviors that may arise. It is reassuring
to know that not only has the problem been identified but people are putting effort into thwarting
it. However, I do wish there were more studies with experiments or surveys that supported this
concept. I understand that it's harder to organize since it requires a longitudinal approach, but
hopefully we will see more of those in the future.
This report definitely validated my prior views on this topic. During my time in the
Honor Program, I have learned to reflect a lot on my experiences so I slowly started to
understand how my past has affected my present mindset. As soon as I thought about reference
points, and combined it with what I was learning about leadership development hindrances in my
management class, this concept of gifted students struggling later in life was very clear. The
more specific details related to struggling with new things, comparison, and perfectionism were
all very validating for myself as well. It is good to understand where these behaviors come from
in order to improve them in the future.
 On that note, I wish students that grew up as “gifted” and are struggling now were better
informed about this topic. If they understand how their mentality has been skewed by their
childhood experience, they might be able to shift and improve it. I also wish parents knew this as
well so they wouldn’t try to push their children and define what success means for them. From a
parental perspective, it makes sense that they want their children to have achievements to prove
that they are raising them right. However, it is crucial to understand that these achievements will
only be in the short term. In order to plan for long term success, some failures need to happen
earlier on in life. Finally, educators should learn about this concept as well. The “gifted” label
starts in schools, who probably think it's a form of encouragement and a way to show high
intelligence in their classrooms. However, if they knew that this action was actually detrimental
to the students’ future potential, they might feel less eager to do it. I understand the need to make
sure students are challenged, but maybe we can find a way to do that without labels and
categories where one always ends up meaning “smarter.” Another key concept is that educators
should move away from praising grades and “correct” answers as much as they are now.
Growing up with this mindset makes students associate success with our report cards and
diminishes their creativity. On a positive note, we can see this starting to happen with colleges
not requiring standardized test scores as a part of their application. This action indirectly says
that success does not relate to scores and can encourage students to be more diverse and
well-rounded.
The focus in the paper was on the high definition of success that gifted students tend to
have. However, another side to this is how these experiences affected those students socially,
mentally, and emotionally. Did being around other similarly gifted students in school cause them
to look for certain qualities in friends? How do these expectations affect their self-image? How
might unusual stress or hardships affect their thoughts and performance? In middle school I was
in what people used to call the “smart” hall. This means I would only take classes with those
people and therefore only became friends with those people. I feel like after this experience, I
have a subconscious attraction towards high achieving people, which can be both motivating and
demotivating at times. I also feel like growing up in that environment shapes an ideal self-image.
However, once you are out of that bubble, you might realize that that goal is not realistic or
maybe not even desirable. In terms of stress, I definitely think that growing up with high grades
that required a lower level of effort (compared to other people) can make the hardships in college
much harder. There is so much content to absorb in the quarter system, and I often find myself
falling behind without the motivation to keep up when I know that I can just “figure it out” for
the homework. At the same time, grades on assignments can be important which means getting
stressed when assignments start piling up. I hope that there is more research on these topics in
the future, since I think they will be very insightful.