January 2026 Research Roundup
Each month, Gifted Child Quarterly (GCQ) publishes research that advances our understanding of gifted education—but finding the time to read and translate that research into practice can be a challenge.
This Research Roundup brings together all of the GCQ articles published recently, paired with plain-language summaries designed to make the findings clear, relevant, and actionable for educators, leaders, and advocates.
Whether you’re looking to stay current on the latest research or quickly grasp key takeaways, this roundup is your starting point.
Stress Management in Honors Students: Findings From a Biofeedback Study
Luis Orione, Del Siegle, Talbot S. Hook, Ivo Donner
College students in honors programs often face intense pressure to succeed. Although many of them perform well academically, they may struggle with stress, especially during examinations and periods of transition. In this study, we explored whether a tool called biofeedback could help honors students learn how to control their physical stress responses. Biofeedback uses sensors to measure signals from the body, such as sweating, temperature, and heart rate, and helps people practice techniques to manage these signals and feel calmer.
Five honors students participated in weekly sessions more than 6 weeks. During each session, they practiced controlling their breathing, muscle tension, and thoughts while monitoring their body’s signals. We tracked how well they learned to control stress across 18 time periods. The results showed that all five students improved their ability to control physiological signs of stress over time. For most students, these improvements were maintained even after the sessions ended.
This study shows that honors students, even though they are high-achieving, can benefit from support in managing stress. It also suggests that short-term, low-cost interventions like biofeedback could help students improve their ability to stay calm and focused in challenging academic settings.
Navigating the Complex Journey Toward Professional Excellence in Distinguished Surgeons: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Approach
Malak Abdulaziz Alabdullatif, Abdullah Mohammed Aljughaiman, Sarah Khaled Alfawzan
This study looks at how six internationally recognized surgeons achieved excellence in their careers. Through in-depth interviews, the research explores their journeys from early life to becoming global leaders in surgery. The findings show that outstanding performance is not only about medical skills—it also requires strong personal qualities like adaptability, persistence, and mental strength. These surgeons kept improving themselves by learning from challenges, solving problems, and staying committed to their goals and ethics. Over time, they became innovative thinkers and inspiring leaders. Their stories highlight how continuous growth, creativity, and responsibility can lead to lasting impact in the field of surgery.
This study offers useful lessons for anyone interested in how excellence is developed in complex, high-pressure professions like surgical medicine. These insights may be helpful to educators, training programs, and policymakers who wish to better understand and support the development of future surgical professionals, as well as talent development programs that aim to help gifted individuals identify their early career interests and build pathways that align with their strengths.
Representation of Linguistically Diverse Students in Gifted and Talented Services: 2006–2019 Tennessee Trends
Jeannette Mancilla-Martinez, Min Hyun Oh, Elizabeth Zagata, Jiaxin Jessie Wang
Some students grow up speaking a language other than English at home. In schools, these students are often called non–English-language background (NELB) students. In the past, schools have sometimes seen these students as needing extra help, and many of them have not been included in gifted programs. Gifted programs are special classes or services for students who learn quickly and show strong academic skills.
Our study looked at how often NELB students were chosen for gifted programs between 2006 and 2019. We grouped students based on their English-language proficiency. Some were still learning English (Current English learners [ELs]), some had been determined English proficient (Former ELs) and no longer needed additional English-language support, and some never needed English-language support (Never ELs) even though they spoke another language at home. We found that Never ELs were more likely to be chosen for gifted programs than native English speakers. Former ELs were about as likely or slightly less likely to be in gifted programs. Current ELs were much less likely to be chosen for gifted services.
These results show that the way schools decide who gets into gifted programs can be different depending on how well students know English. Schools need to make sure all students, no matter what language they speak at home, have a fair chance to be in gifted programs if they have strong academic abilities.
