Tendencies of gifted pupils toward selected aspects of conformist behavior in the context of their relationships with classmates

The aim of the study was to ascertain the degree of conformist behavior of gifted pupils in the adolescent age during the application of different phases of differentiated enriched curriculum. To diagnose the tendency of gifted pupils toward conformist behavior in education, a technique based on the ATER instrument, with the use of the two-factor semantic differential, was applied. We found that most gifted pupils declare non-conformist tendencies in education. By testing the hypothesis, it was verified that the tendency of gifted pupils toward conformism is not affected by the type of school they attend, nor the quality of the relationship of the classmates with the pupils themselves, which the gifted pupil declares, or the quality of relationship of the gifted pupil to other pupils. We also found that the need for gifted pupils to have friends in the classroom encourages a greater tendency towards conformist behavior. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.