AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING OF VIETNAMESE GIFTED HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Social and emotional well-being (SEWB) is regarded as a fundamental building block for the general development of all children (Peterson & Morris, 2010; Shechtman & Silektor, 2012). Therefore, meeting their social and emotional needs has become an important goal for education (Bridgeland et al., 2013; Weissberg et al., 2011). Gifted students (GT) who demonstrate distinctive characteristics from their chronological age peers may encounter unique social-emotional challenges related to their giftedness which could hinder their personal development, and thus require support from their teachers and parents (Peterson, 2009). This study thus aimed at investigating SEWB of Vietnamese High School GT, through perspectives of the GT, their parents and teachers. The quantitative method approach was employed whereby three groups of participants completed Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to screen out the social emotional advantages and disadvantages experienced by the GT. Findings from the study suggested that GT are perceived to own medium to high level of social and emotional strength, yet the number of difficulties could not be neglected. Among 4 types of difficulties investigated, hyperactivity problems were the most outstanding challenges whereas conduct problems were least problematic. There were also some noticeable discrepancies among different groups’ perceptions on peer relationships, conduct difficulties and emotional challenges. The mismatch in GT’s, the teachers’ and parents’ perceptions towards SEWB of GT, therefore, could make suggestions to facilitate best practice to satisfy GT’s social emotional needs and opened avenues for future studies. Key words: Gifted students, social and emtional well-being