Giftedness in Cultural Context: A Tool for Increasing Black Student Referrals and Identification
Dr. Donna Ford argues that Blacks have a culture, which has been written about by many scholars. Prior to reviewing the table below, there is more information on the Boykin Model, in addition to other cultural characteristics of Blacks, in the table Ford’s Characteristics of Black (African American) Students, Hurston’s Characteristics of Negros, and Boykin’s Afrocentric Cultural Styles (see Table 1, p.4). After reviewing those cultural characteristics and styles, return here to see how those characteristics may be manifested in giftedness and possibly misinterpreted.
Traditional Characteristics of Giftedness |
Cultural Filter (Boykin Model) |
Cultural Manifestations of Gifted |
Possible Misinterpretations |
---|---|---|---|
Advanced vocabulary; Verbal proficiency |
Oral TraditionExpresses views openly, directly, bluntly; likes to play with words, to outwit verbally |
|
Verbal strengths not recognized due to words and language used (e.g., nonstandard English, slang) |
Creative, inventive, divergent thinker |
Expressive IndividualismRisk taker, dares to be different; creative |
|
Viewed as disruptive, class clown, nonconforming, indecisive |
Empathetic; Strong interpersonal skills |
AffectFeelings oriented, sensitive, emotional HarmonyWants to belong, fit in |
|
AffectViewed as too social, immature HarmonyViewed as lacking independence and personal identity |
Large memory; Retains information quickly |
AffectSensitive, emotional HarmonyReads nonverbal cues well; wants to feel welcome and valued |
|
Viewed as overly sensitive, too critical, difficult to please and appease |
Inquisitive; curious |
Social Time PerspectiveNeeds context for learning; seeks personal connections and relevance |
|
Viewed as too challenging, critical, and disrespectful |
Intrinsic motivation; Task commitment |
Social Time PerspectiveMultitasks–does more than one task at a time; people and the event are more important than time HarmonyThe context/environment matters; wants to be a valued member |
|
Social Time PerspectiveViewed as extrinsically motivated (and, thus, immature) HarmonyShows sporadic, inconsistent achievement, unexplained bursts of interest and achievement |
Heightened sensitivity; Keen sense of justice |
AffectFeelings oriented, sensitive, emotional HarmonyField dependent; the environment and relationships are valued |
|
AffectViewed as defensive, too sensitive, too critical, too suspicious HarmonyViewed as self-centered (personal concerns outweigh larger social issues) |
Independent |
CommunalismExtroverted–social and family oriented: guided by a we/us/our philosophy Expressive IndividualismRisk taker; dares to be different; creative |
|
Viewed as lacking independence, needy; immature; disrespectful; nonconforming; noncompliant |
Used with permission from Donna Y. Ford. From Recruiting & Retaining Culturally Different Students in Gifted Education by Donna Y. Ford, PH.D. Copyright 2013 by Prufrock Press Inc., P.O. Box 8813, Waco, TX 76714, 800.998.2208, www.prufrock.com. All rights reserved.