Exploring the Linguistic Profile of Gifted ESL Students

Abstract

This study gleaned insights into the linguistic profile of gifted English as second language students (ESL). It explored students’, parents’, and teachers’ views of the gifted ESL journey of linguistic development through discussions on vocabulary development strategies, personal traits, and socio-cultural influences. Exploration used a single case study and gave voice to a purposive sample of four students, two parents, and three teachers. Data consisted of Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (Martin, & Brownell, 2016), background survey, Duckworth’s 12-Item Grit Scale (2016b), Oxford’s Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (1990), focus groups with all participant groups, and interviews with students. The setting was a K-12 school where students (a) were enrolled in the same school, (b) were predominantly taught in English, (c) arrived to school with knowledge of a language other than English, (d) identified by the school as gifted and ESL, and (e) were in Grade 8 or 9. Students’ profiles showed that developing academic language is important for school success and should not be limited to determining efficacious linguistic strategies as it is also connected to interest and motivation. Parents’ and teachers’ data confirmed students’ results. Findings suggested that the ‘good’ gifted language learner consciously deploys (a) linguistic strategies, (b) personal traits, and (c) socio-cultural influences for linguistic development. The study proposed a vocabulary development model that classroom practitioners can adopt and adapt. The purpose is to initiate discussions and invite new research on pedagogies that enable academic vocabulary expansion among gifted ESL students.