Talent Development, Cultural Diversity, and Equity: The Challenge of the Andean Countries

Abstract

Is it possible to identify gifted children in the extreme highlands of the Andes or in the depth of the Amazon jungle? This is the core question of my academic life. It was first asked as a provocative question on July 1991, while I was attending the Educational Research Workshop Education of the Gifted in Europe: Theoretical and Research Issues, a milestone event for gifted education in Europe (Mönks & Pflüger, 2005). At that moment, my country was immersed in a bloody armed conflict, and gifted education wasn't a priority. However, enrichment programs became a key alternative to improve the quality of education in regular classes (Alencar, Blumen, & Castellanos, 2000).Giftedness and talent development occur in different parts of the world, where opportunity and commitment (Cross & Coleman, 2005) support its growth. Both, intrinsic variables to the individual, so-called learning capital by the learning resources approach (Ziegler & Baker, 2013), and the opportunity for talent development toward excellence, so-called educational capital by Ziegler and Stoeger (2017), are necessary; the latter is highly dependent on the opportunities provided to the individual along the life-span and the culture where he/she develops.

Exploring the constraints of space in enhancing giftedness of academics and administrative staff in higher education

“…From a developmental standpoint, both academics and administrative staff must consider cognitive and conative elements, as well as access to university facilities, to obtain exceptional results. Blumen (2021) revealed that despite their high levels of stress, young scholars from ethnically diverse backgrounds who were studying at a culturesensitive university were engaged with their studies and maintained their academic achievement. Academics and administrative employees appear to be supported by the university.…”