Scientific imagination of gifted and non-gifted middle school students

Abstract

In this study, it is aimed to examine the scientific imagination of gifted and non-gifted 5th and 8th grade students. For this purpose, the study was carried out with 12 students including 3 gifted and 3 non-gifted students at both grade levels. The data of the study were collected with the instruments named “draw scientific imagination” and “explain scientific imagination”. The results of the study revealed that gifted students had higher scientific imagination scores than non-gifted students at both levels, and 8th grade gifted students had more scientific imagination scores than 5th grade gifted students. In all sub-dimensions of scientific imagination, gifted students score more than non-gifted students. Non-gifted 8th grade students have lower scientific creativity scores than 5th grade students. In other sub-dimensions, 8th grade non-gifted students have higher scores than 5th grade students. It may be suggested that school programs should be supported by activities that develop scientific imagination so that the scientific imaginations of non-gifted students do not go backwards after the 5th grade. It may be recommended that additional programs applied to gifted students should be extended to non-gifted students.