The lived experiences of twice exceptional children: Narrative perceptions of disability and giftedness

432 Pages·2016·5.74 MB·English

The lived experiences of twice
exceptional children: Narrative
perceptions of disability and
giftedness
A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Michelle Ronksley-Pavia
Qualifications:
 Master of Gifted and Talented Education (University of New England, Armidale,
NSW).
 Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning, Secondary (University of Southern
Queensland, Toowoomba);
 Graduate Certificate in Education (Children’s Literacy and Literature), (University of
Southern Queensland, Toowoomba);
 Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) (Western Sydney University, Kingswood, NSW).
Principal Supervisor: Associate Professor Peter Grootenboer
Principal Supervisor: Professor Donna Pendergast
Associate Supervisor: Dr Mia O’Brien
School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia
Dated this 15th day of March, 2016
The Lived Experiences of Twice Exceptional Children ii
Statement of Originality
This work in its entirety has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in
any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material
previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made
in the thesis itself.
Michelle Ronksley-Pavia
th
15 March, 2016
The Lived Experiences of Twice Exceptional Children iii
Dedication
This thesis is dedicated to my dearly loved family, past and present, and to all those
who at some time have struggled with gaining an education.
The Lived Experiences of Twice Exceptional Children iv
Acknowledgements
A work like this research study and resultant thesis, is not feasible without the
support of many people, whilst it is not possible to name everyone here, I would like to
thank my family, friends, supervisors, and all the administrative staff and academics at
Griffith University, who have made this journey possible; those who were just there for
a quick chat, or who provided more formal opportunities for feedback, and peer support.
I would particularly like to thank Ameeta Prakash, ICT Literacy Specialist, Library and
Learning Services, at Griffith University’s Nathan campus, for her invaluable support
with Microsoft® Word.
I would also like to acknowledge and thank my academic supervisors,
particularly those who have been there from day one, my Principal Supervisor,
Associate Professor Peter Grootenboer, who has encouraged, fine-tuned, and shaped my
development as a researcher and writer. Thank you for your confidence in me, you have
been my rock of support for the past three and a half years, you rock!
I would like to thank my second Principal Supervisor, Professor Donna
Pendergast, whose support and guidance has shaped, moulded and strengthened my
research and writing to the highest standard, thank you for your inspiration and belief in
me! I would like to thank Dr Mia O’Brien for her input and support during her tenure as
my Associate Supervisor over the final half of this thesis. I would also like to thank
Professor Susie Garvis, who was there at the beginning before leaving to pursue her
research and career overseas. Susie was one of my main supporters and inspiration for
me in undertaking a PhD at Griffith University.
This thesis was also made possible by a Griffith University Postgraduate
Research Scholarship that I was awarded in semester two, in the second year of my
study. Without this scholarship I am not sure I would have had the financial capacity to
complete a full-time research project, I would like to thank the Scholarship Committee
for their belief in me, and support of my study.
It is with humility, and appreciation that I thank the participants and their
parents, whose openness has made this research project, and without whom this study
would not have been possible. Your time, feedback and encouragement for what you all
considered valuable work, has humbled me, and strengthened my resolve, which at
times slipped as I struggled with aspects of the research and write up. Thank you to:
The Lived Experiences of Twice Exceptional Children v
Turbo and Blondie; Cat51 and Linda; Boomstick and PurplePeople; Harry, Skye and
Jon; Ashley, Susanna and Lesley; Anny and Julie; Buster, Trevor and Sharon; and, Bob
and Godmother. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. May you all find some
reassurance in the knowledge that this work may help, in some small way, to change
policy and practice in supporting twice exceptional children.
Last, but by no means least, I would like to thank my family, without whom this
PhD thesis would NEVER have been started, let alone completed. My husband, Frank,
who is the love of my life, and whose encouragement and support go well beyond the
job description of husband! My son, Steven, for his inspiration, encouragement, and
patience, when told frequently, that he could not talk to me until I had finished the
particular reading, and writing I was doing, for the times he may have felt he missed out
on my attention and company. You are the reason I undertook this project, for you, and
all the children in the world who may benefit in some way, no matter how small, from
my having undertaken this work. I’d like to thank my mum, Ann for her backing and
support. I would also like to thank my Aunty Jen, in England for her wonderful
encouragement and championing of my work at every opportunity! Finally, I would like
to thank all my ancestors, who made this university journey possible, particularly my
father, Brian, who passed away in 2006. I often wonder what he would think about my
PhD work, if he might keep me grounded, saying one of his famous phrases, thinking
it’s all “a whole load of esoteric mumbo jumbo!”
Michelle Ronksley-Pavia
January 2016
Professional editors, Maureen Butler, and Moya Healey, provided copy-editing and proof-reading
services, according to the guidelines laid out in the university-endorsed national Guidelines for Editing
Research Theses (Bandura, 1971).
The Lived Experiences of Twice Exceptional Children vi
Acknowledgement of Published and Unpublished Papers Included in this Thesis
Ronksley-Pavia, M. L. & Grootenboer, P. (Accepted for publication Nov. 2015).
Insights into disability and giftedness: Narrative methodologies in interviewing
young people identified as twice exceptional. In R. Dwyer, E. Emerald, & I.
Davis (eds), Storied worlds: Diverse case studies of narrative research.
Springer.
Ronksley-Pavia, M. (2015). A model of twice-exceptionality: Explaining and defining
the apparent paradoxical combination of disability and giftedness in childhood.
Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 38(3), 318-340. doi:
10.1177/0162353215592499.
Ronksley-Pavia, M. (2014). Enhancing creativity for gifted and talented students: A
visual arts classroom perspective. TalentEd, 28(1-2), 32-44.
Conference Presentations from this Thesis
Ronksley-Pavia, M. (2015). Role of disability and ability: Lived experiences of the twice
exceptional. Paper presented at The 9th International Adolescent Success
Conference, Bright Futures for Young Adolescents, Gold Coast, August 20-22,
2015.
Ronksley-Pavia, M. (2015). Lived experiences of two children with high-functioning
autism: Research from the edge. Paper presented at the 2015 Asia Pacific
Autism Conference, APAC 2015: Transforming Futures, Brisbane, 9th-11th
September, 2015.
Ronksley-Pavia, M. (2015). An exploration of ability in dis-ability: Narrative tapestries
of twice-exceptional children. Paper presented at the National Conference of
Gifted and Talented Education – Queensland Association for Gifted and
Talented Children (QAGTC), Australian Association for the Education of the
Gifted and Talented (AAEGT) and the International Research Association for
Talent Development and Excellence (IRATDE), Illumination the spectrum of
giftedness and talent development, Brisbane, 19-21 March, 2015.
Ronksley-Pavia, M. (2014). An empirical investigation of twice-exceptional research in
Australia: Prevalence estimates for gifted children with disability. Speaking
back through research. AARE/NZARE Conference, Brisbane, QLD, Australia,
November 30- 4 December, 2014.
Ronksley-Pavia, M. (2014). Understanding twice-exceptionality: Children with
disability and giftedness. Paper presented at the 22nd State Conference of the
Queensland Association for Gifted and Talented Children Inc. (QAGTC),
Approaching gifted education: What works best in schools? Brisbane, QLD,
Australia, 29 March, 2014.
The Lived Experiences of Twice Exceptional Children vii
Ronksley-Pavia, M. (2013). Delineating terms in Humpty Dumpty’s world: Defining
giftedness, disability and twice-exceptionality. Paper presented at the Griffith
University Research Student Conference, Through the looking glass: Research
from both sides, Brisbane, 15 & 16 November, 2013.
Ronksley-Pavia, M. (2013). Twice-Exceptional students: Perceptions of disabilities,
st
giftedness and achievement. Paper presented at the 21 State Conference of the
Queensland Association for Gifted and Talented Children Inc. (QAGTC), A
New Educational era: Gifted students and the Australian curriculum, Brisbane,
16 March, 2013.
Ronksley-Pavia, M. (2012). Perceptions of disabilities & giftedness. Paper presented at
the Griffith University Research Students’ Conference, Re-search, re-fresh, re-
imagine, Brisbane, 16 November, 2012.
Lived Experiences of Twice Exceptional Children viii
Abstract
In Australia there is a paucity of research on twice exceptionality, a sub-set of the field
of gifted education, where twice exceptional children are those who possess both
giftedness and disability. Since the 2001 Australian Senate review into gifted education,
Australian schools have struggled to understand the paradoxical nature of twice
exceptional children, even though inclusivity and equity in education have become the
policies of choice for 21st Century education. The majority of research into twice
exceptionality has been conducted in North America, mainly taking a quantitative
approach, often led by a focus on specific disability categories; an approach that further
reinforces categorisation of disability related to medical-needs models. This study was
conducted to address a gap in the literature which largely maintains a quantitative-
driven disability-category approach to research in this area.
This qualitative narrative inquiry aimed to explore the lived experiences of twice
exceptional children, both in school and outside school and by doing so, sought to gain
an in-depth understanding of contextual factors impacting these children in order to
inform policy and practice. Lived experience refers to my representation and
understanding of the participants’ experiences, choices, and options, and how these
factors influenced their unique perception of knowledge gained through those
experiences. By employing narrative informed case studies this research aimed to add
insider perspectives to better understand twice exceptionality, and privilege the
children’s voices. Eight children participated in this study, five males and three females,
aged nine years to 16 years. The participants all had psychometric assessments
confirming giftedness, and disability diagnoses from specialist health practitioners
confirming disability. A total of 28 semi-structured interviews lasting 30-60 minutes
were conducted in the children’s homes over the course of the study. The interviews
were transcribed, analysed, then re-storied and presented as narrative story
constellations—Children’s Stories/Stories of Children.
From the story constellations five key thematic plotlines were identified: Personal
Interests; Negative Experiences; Support Networks; Stress, Coping and Resilience; and,
Sense of Self. The plotline of Personal Interests related to the participants’ unique
interests that they engaged in enabling down time from needing to deal with issues
relating to their experiences. The plotline of Negative Experiences came from reported
ongoing negative experiences at school that usually involved bullying by peers and
Lived Experiences of Twice Exceptional Children ix

teachers; incidents of teachers’ yelling; and, being negatively singled out in class. The
plotline of Support Networks identified external factors that the participants
acknowledged as supportive, such as their pets; friends; parents; and, social networks.
Stress, Coping, and Resilience related to situational factors; maladaptive coping; and
building resilience through understanding and advocacy. Sense of Self, referred to
aspects of the children’s lived experiences that contributed to self-understanding and
self-knowledge, such as feelings of being different. Where there were conflicts;
bullying, adversarial relationships, and lack of understanding, the children experienced
further stress and stigma on top of already existent stress and anxiety.
The findings suggest an overarching narrative of stigma in the lives of these children,
indicating that children identified as twice exceptional experience life in ways that may
not necessarily be recognised and understood by others. The stigma surrounding
perceptions of the children’s disability diminished views of them as capable, and
predominantly viewed them as in-capable. This means that in the context of these eight
twice exceptional children, the findings are not about children who have a disability and
who are gifted, or vice versa, but about the complex interactions of these two elements
for each individual child, their lived experiences of being twice exceptional. The key
recommendations for policy and practice from this study are for focused teacher
training; the intentional creation of affirmative educational environments; listening to
and supporting twice exceptional children; and, the need to create policy and legislation
which acknowledges the existence and unique needs of these children.
Lived Experiences of Twice Exceptional Children x

Table of Contents
Statement of Originality ................................................................................................................ ii
Dedication .................................................................................................................................... iii
Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... iv
Acknowledgement of Published and Unpublished Papers Included in this Thesis ...................... vi
Conference Presentations from this Thesis .................................................................................. vi
Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... viii
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... x
List of Appendices ..................................................................................................................... xiv
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................. xv
List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. xvi
Acronyms and Abbreviations ................................................................................................... xviii
Terminology: Definitions and Descriptions ................................................................................ xx
Chapter 1: Introduction.............................................................................................................. 1
Chapter Synopsis..................................................................................................................... 1
Background ............................................................................................................................. 1
Lived Experience .................................................................................................................... 2
Background to this Study ........................................................................................................ 2
Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................................... 5
Research Design ...................................................................................................................... 6
Significance and Purpose of this Study ................................................................................... 8
The Research Gap ................................................................................................................... 8
Aims of this Study................................................................................................................. 10
Research Questions ............................................................................................................... 10
Thesis Organisation............................................................................................................... 10
Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................. 13
Chapter 2: My Lived Experiences with Education ................................................................ 14
Chapter Synopsis................................................................................................................... 14
Milieus of my Lived Experience ........................................................................................... 14
Chapter 3: Literature Review .................................................................................................. 25
Chapter Synopsis................................................................................................................... 25
Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 25
Defining Gifted and Talented ............................................................................................... 25
Summary of Giftedness Research ......................................................................................... 29
Narratives of Australian Policy and Legislation on Giftedness ............................................ 29
Summary of National Policies .............................................................................................. 31
State Gifted Education Policies ............................................................................................. 32