Spirituality and giftedness type: A tale of adolescent variance

Abstract

This chapter is an overview of the key discussions and findings from the author's PhD thesis (Walton, 2015). Spirituality and its relation to giftedness are discussed, along with the theoretical framework for the research. The latter included applying the principles of Multiple Intelligences theory (MI) to the Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT), creating the Differentiated Model of Multiple Intelligences (DMMI). An examination of the differences and commonalities in Australian gifted policies, with suggested categorisation, provided the background framing. Adolescents who were members of academic, creative and sporting gifted groups in schools in a large regional area of New South Wales (NSW) were surveyed on their views in relation to spirituality, along with a non-gifted control group. The key findings were: (1) significant variation in the spirituality of female gifted students, which were not reflected in the male responses; and (2) the Creative group scores were generally higher than the other groups, but this was not consistent across spirituality domains.