ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses salient components of the research base on the psychological and social aspects of educating gifted students in three areas: the psychological and social needs of gifted students, school-based issues common to gifted students and the social coping strategies gifted students employ in school settings. Practical recommendations enabling teachers, parents, and counselors to provide effective guidance for gifted students complete the manuscript. Gifted students need to understand the expectations placed on them and need to have a learned person providing guidance during their struggles. Exogenous needs differ from endogenous needs in that exogenous needs exist primarily from the gifted child's interaction with an environment. The experiences of gifted students in school are similar to those of nongifted students, as schooling is largely a social enterprise. The researchers found that gifted adolescents do significantly vary their coping strategies based on their interpretations of expectations within each scenario and based on their desires to reach their social goals.
