An international view on gifted education: Incorporating the macro-systemic perspective

Abstract

This chapter introduces a theoretical framework for contemplating gifted education from a macro-systemic and, in particular, cross-national vantage point. The chapter first describes a recent trend in giftedness research to move beyond the immediate environment of the gifted and presents evidence on why this shift represents a necessary extension of traditional approaches. The chapter then proposes an evaluation approach for comparing the effectiveness of gifted education macro-systems with a focus on cross-national comparisons. This approach is based on (1) a comparison of exogenous and endogenous learning resources and (2) their systemic organization with regard to fostering individual development and learning of the gifted.