Özet:

Social representations may have influence on individuals’ behaviors and attitudes. In this study, the aim was to investigate people’s social representations in the society. The method of social representation was used to unearth people’s free associations on the concept of giftedness. This study included 523 participants, conveniently sampled from different age groups and educational levels. In terms of gender, 46.9% was male and 53.1% was female. Among the participants, 107 have participated to a training programat least once about giftedness or gifted students. Other 416 have not participated to any training program. Participants were asked to write down five words in an order come to their mind when they heard the concept of gifted. The written words were analyzed by focusing on frequency and rank order. The analyses were conducted separately for all participants, the educated group, and the uneducated group. Central and peripheral elements were revealed for each group. The social representations of all participants were similar to those of the uneducated group, which were gifted, successful, hard-working, and ability. The social representations of the educated group were gifted, different, and creative. Results indicated that the social representation of the society on giftedness was highly positive. Suggestions were also provided based on the revealed central and peripheral elements on giftedness

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