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432 Pages·2016·5.74 MB·English
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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

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Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.