Actualizing Finnish Giftedness

The purpose of the study is to investigate how Finnish gifted people have actualized their giftedness in their studies and in their professional and ordinary life. Gifted population is represented by those gifted in science who have participated in Olympics in mathematical subjects during the last thirty years (N=300). The study is a part of an international research project that compares the possibilities for gifted people to actualize their giftedness in different countries. A special interest is shown to the factors of education both in homes and in schools that have promoted or hindered these people in actualizing their giftedness. The study provides an opportunity to evaluate the outcomes of Finnish giftedness in relation to the outcomes in other countries. The results of the study can be used in developing gifted education in science both in Finland and in the other countries. In addition to the international comparative research, the project will continue qualitatively in o rder to explore the values and ethics behind the choices of olympists. Actualization of giftedness is viewed in the theoretical framework of Gardner as dependent on the values of culture and the intra- and interpersonal intelligences of a person (Gardner 1993). The interviews are conducted to explore the views of olympists on the factors influencing their choices and the values guiding them. A special interest is shown to the abilities of olympists to identify and solve ethical problems in their own field of science. The olympists talented in computer science represent the type of giftedness valued by the representatives of economy and industry. The study will explore the profile of giftedness in computer science and the moral and ethical values of the gifted who are the national experts in this field.