Research
Why Do We Do Research at Duke TIP?
There are three main reasons to conduct research at Duke TIP. First, as an organization, we want to be sure we are doing the most we can to foster the development of academically talented students. We appreciate that systematic study is the best way to learn about the special group of students involved in our organization, particularly those students who spend time in intensive study with us during the summers.
Second, research allows us to contribute to the larger "gifted" community and the broader educational community. We can learn important lessons about talent and adolescent development from the unique population we serve. Duke TIP students are particularly interesting to study because they are often articulate in ways that shed light on general adolescent development. Through research, our students can teach us a great deal about life as an adolescent, and we can, in turn, provide information from our studies to teachers, counselors, parents, and others nationwide who serve adolescents.
Third, Duke TIP is an integral part of the scholarly community of Duke University, whose overall mission includes research. Duke TIP’s Research division contributes to Duke’s work by publishing in scholarly journals, presenting papers at professional conferences, and seeking grant funding to aid in the development of new research initiatives.
How Duke TIP Research Works
Research has enjoyed a long tradition at Duke TIP. In fact, Duke TIP was founded as a result of information gained through the research conducted by colleagues at the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth at the Johns Hopkins University. These investigators identified characteristics of very talented students that indicated special programming for optimal development. Because of this pioneering work, educators today largely accept the notion that very bright children require special attention.
Duke TIP studies are designed to address significant current issues in gifted education that would benefit from systematic inquiry. Much of the original research conducted by Duke TIP takes place during the summers, where students enrolled in particular Duke TIP summer programs may be invited to participate. Other studies are conducted by mail, involving small samples of the large numbers of students who have participated in some aspect of Duke TIP’s programming and sometimes their parents or guardians.
Upcoming Conference Presentations
56th Annual Convention of the National Association for Gifted Children St. Louis, MO, November 5-8, 2009.
Courtright, R. D. “Pulling it all together: A Synthesis Model for Differentiated Education for the Gifted/Talented”
Makel, M. C. "Keys to Classroom Creativity”
Peairs, K. F., Putallaz, M., Eichen, D. and Grimes, C. L. “The Peer World of Gifted Adolescents”
Peairs, K. F., Putallaz, M., and Grimes, C. L. “Academic Giftedness and Substance Use in Early Adolescence”
18th World Conference on Gifted and Talented Children, August 5, 2009.
Chiu, B. and Charles, N. "Beyond Borders: Identifying and Nurturing Giftedness Worldwide"
Recent Conference Presentations
Flanagan, K. E., and Linnenbrink-Garcia, L. (April, 2009). "Profiling the Gifted Underachiever: Examination through a Motivational Framework," Presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. San Diego, CA.
Ben-Eliyahu, A., Linnenbrink-Garcia, L., and Putallaz, M. (April, 2009). "The Interplay between Academic and Social Goal Orientations and Their Relations to Self-Concept," Presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Denver, CO.
Flanagan, K. E., Linnenbrink-Garcia, L., and Putallaz, M. (March, 2009). "Why Don’t All Gifted Students Achieve Academically? An Examination of Underachievers," Presented at the 2009 Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Child Development. Denver, CO.
Hawks, L., and Porter, T. (March, 2009). "Analysis, Evaluation, and Creation: Ensuring Higher-level Thinking in Online Learning," Presented at the Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Association for the Gifted and Talented, Winston-Salem, NC.
Courtright, R. D. (March, 2009). "I’m Sequential, You’re Random, We’re OK: Learning Styles in the Classroom," Presented at the Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Association for the Gifted and Talented, Winston-Salem, NC.
Courtright, R. D. (March, 2009). "Socratic Seminars: Low Technology, High Impact," Presented at the Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Association for the Gifted and Talented, Winston-Salem, NC.
Makel, M. C. (November, 2008). "I Think I Can: The Influence of Implicit Beliefs on Creative Performance'" Presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Gifted Children, Tampa, FL.
Plucker, J. A., Makel, M. C., and Hegarty, C. B. (November, 2008). "Not Everything is New Under the Sun: The Importance of Replications in Gifted Research," Presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Gifted Children, Tampa, FL.
Schmid, L., Golonka, M., Mack, A., Foster, K., Putallaz, M., Grimes, C.L., and Costanzo, P.R. (May, 2008). "Outcomes for Gifted Students: Perceived Leadership Attributes, Values, and Substance Use," Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Prevention Research, San Francisco, CA.
Alfeld, C., Lee, S-Y., Olszewski-Kubilius, P., Prince, R.P., and Putallaz, M. (March, 2008). "Self-Concept Revisited: Results from a Collaborative Study of Gifted Adolescents by Two Talent Search Centers," Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Educational Research, New York, NY.
Ben-Eliyahu, A., Alfeld, C., Flanagan, K., and Putallaz, M. (March, 2008). "Academic and Social Goal Orientations and Their Importance," Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Educational Research, New York, NY.
Foster, K.J., Grimes, C.L., Lee, J.S., & Putallaz, M. (March, 2008). "The Social World of Gifted Adolescents," Presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence, Chicago, IL.
Recent Publications
Li, Y., Alfeld, C. J., Kennedy, R. P., and Putallaz, M. (2009). "Effects of Summer Academic Programs in Middle school on High School Test Scores, Coursetaking, and College Major, "Journal of Advanced Academics, 20, 404-436.
Makel, M. C. (2009). "Help Us Creativity Researchers, You’re Our Only Hope," Psychology of Creativity, Aesthetics, and the Arts, 3(1), 38-42.
Makel, M. C. and Plucker, J. A. (2008). "Creativity," In S. I. Pfeiffer (Ed.), (pp. 247-270). Handbook of Giftedness in Children Psycho-Educational Theory, Research, and Best Practices. New York: Kluwer Academic.
Makel, M. C. (2008). "Expertise," In J. A. Plucker & C. M. Callahan (Eds.), (pp. 213-224). Critical Issues and Practices in Gifted Education: What the Research Says. Washington: Prufrock Press.