The State of Qualitative Research in Gifted Education as Published in American Journals

Abstract

As qualitative research has become a more familiar form of inquiry in gifted education, judging its quality and value remains obscure and problematic to the field. This article analyzes and critiques published studies for the purpose of understanding the state of qualitative research in gifted education. Data for this study are from the major American gifted education journals. Publications between 1985 and 2003 are surveyed, electronically and manually, to form the pool of 124 qualitative studies. Each study is summarized, analyzed, categorized, and evaluated based on the attributes of qualitative research. Of the original pool, 40 are consistent with the qualitative paradigm; others are judged as qualitative lite or examples of quantitative research. Exemplars of quality studies are presented as referents for readers to further their understanding and investigation of the quality and value of qualitative research.