College’s gifted and creative education program recognized by publications

The University of Georgia was recently included among the most productive institutions internationally in the field of gifted and creative education by publication researchers.

Housed in the UGA Mary Frances Early College of Education, the gifted and creative education program stresses the importance of tailoring education to students’ specific needs and that giftedness and creativity are expressed in diverse ways among people.

“This recognition is a testament to the hard work, dedication and passion of our faculty, students and alumni who continue to innovate and lead in the field of gifted education,” said Sakhavat Mammadov, associate professor in the department of educational psychology. “Our program’s commitment to scholarly productivity and support for gifted students is unwavering, and we are thrilled to be recognized among the most productive institutions internationally in the field."

The article, “What Do We Know about Giftedness and Underachievement? A Bibliometric Analysis,” analyzes the main trends in published reviews between 1958 and 2018 regarding underachievement in gifted education.

Published in the International Journal of Research in Education and Sciences, the analysis found that the U.S. is the most productive country regarding gifted research, with the University of Georgia named as the most productive institution.

Additionally, a second article titled, “The State and Development of Research in the Field of Gifted Education over 60 Years,” found that UGA produces the second most publications in gifted education (147 records) after the University of Connecticut (170 records).

UGA is followed by Ball State University (133 records), Purdue University (118 records) and the University of Virginia (108 records).

“The gifted and creative education program at UGA has a rich and storied history in the field,” said Amy Reschly, professor and head of the department of educational psychology. “These studies clearly highlight the incredible productivity of our faculty and program graduates.”

Under the leadership of established faculty, professor Tarek Grantham and senior lecturer Meg Hines, as well as new faculty members Anna Abraham, the E. Paul Torrance Professor and director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development; assistant professor Kadir Bahar; associate professor Denis Duma; and associate professor Sakhavat Mammadov, UGA remains a leader in the field of gifted and creative education