Theories to Guide Affective Curriculum Development

This chapter provides an overview of a wide variety of types of theories that can guide the development of curriculum to support the emotional, social/interpersonal, and/or motivational/conative development of high-ability youth. Affective curriculum development based on theories of social and emotional development already is taking place at a few academic centers in the United States. Many of the broad human development theories also need adjustment for gifted females and minorities because they were developed from observations of White male populations. Theories of social development have emerged from the field of social psychology that may be applicable to affective curriculum for gifted and talented students. Social information processing theory focuses on the cognitive processes involved in thinking about and interpreting social situations and relationships. Personal development theories explain the factors that lead to optimal personal development. Theories of identity development provide another source of ideas for theoretical frameworks to use in designing affective curricula, especially at the secondary level.