Giftedness theories in musical talent development research: a scoping review with implications for music education scholars and practitioners

Abstract

Theories about giftedness have been extensively applied in understanding academic and talent development of gifted and high-ability students in academic-related and other co-curricular domains of performance. However, there is limited literature on the application of such theories in musically talented students and adults. This review addresses this issue by summarising prior studies that used specific theories of giftedness in investigating the talent and psychological qualities in musically gifted learners. A total of 27 eligible studies were included in this review. Our findings showed sporadic attempts to integrate theories of giftedness in studies involving musically talented students and adults, with most studies using Gagne’s differentiated model of giftedness and others using Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory and educational psychological theory (e.g. expectancy-value theory). We elaborate on how integrating extant theories of giftedness with cultural psychological theories can enrich our understanding of musically gifted learners’ talent development, especially in non-Western cultural contexts.

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