Motivating the Gifted and Talented: Lessons from Research and Practice.

The issue of motivation is relevant to all students (Martin, 2001, 2002, in press). However, for some specific groups of students, not only are the fundamental principles of motivation relevant, but there are some additional principles or issues that need to be considered or refined. One case in point is the gifted and talented student, and in particular, the underachieving gifted and talented student. The purpose of this paper is to review the key motivational issues relevant to gifted and talented students, and more specifically, the refinements or adaptations of these issues that are required to more effectively target these students. Following from this, a variety of pedagogical strategies are proposed which educators can use to enhance or sustain gifted and talented students.