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Micrdfilms International 300 N A COMPARISON OF DABROWSKI'S CONCEPT OF OVEREXCITABILITIES WITH MEASURES OF CREATIVITY AND SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT IN SIXTH GRADE STUDENTS Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors GALLAGHER, SHELAGH ANN Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 07/10/2021 07:50:25 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/292067 INFORMATION TO USERS This reproduction was made from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technology has been used to photograph and reproduce this document, the quality of the reproduction is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. 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Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 1325050 GALLAGHER, SHELAGH ANN A COMPARISON OF DABROWSKI'S CONCEPT OF OVEREXCITABILITIES WITH MEASURES OF CREATIVITY AND SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT IN SIXTH GRADE STUDENTS THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA M.A. 1985 University Microfilms International 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor. MI 48106 PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed in the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been identified here with a check mark V . 1. Glossy photographs or pages 2. Colored illustrations, paper or print 3. Photographs with dark background 4. Illustrations are poor copy K/ 5. Pages with black marks, not original copy 6. Print shows through as there is text on both sides of page 7. Indistinct, broken or small print on several pages 8. Print exceeds margin requirements 9. Tightly bound copy with print lost in spine 10. Computer printout pages with indistinct print 11. Page(s) lacking when material received, and not available from school or author. 12. Page(s) seem to be missing in numbering only as text follows. 13. Two pages numbered . Text follows. 14. Curling and wrinkled pages 15. Other University Microfilms International A COMPARISON OF DABROWSKI'S CONCEPT OF OVEREXCITABILTIES WITH MEASURES OF CREATIVITY AND SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT IN SIXTH GRADE STUDENTS by Shelagh Ann Gallagher A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 19 8 5 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of re­ quirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judg­ ment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholar­ ship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: ,A- APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: 1/ C. J. MAKER Associate Professor of Special Education ACKNOWLEDGMENTS No major piece of work is constructed by a single person, and this thesis is no exception. There are many friends, companions, and collaborators who deserve heartfelt thanks for providing time, assist­ ance, and support as I wended my way toward the completion of this project. The open and accepting attitude of my advisor, Dr. June Maker, was an absolutely essential element of the paper. Too often, master's students are left to rehash old theories in their theses—a "safe" avenue for novice researchers. Dr. Maker's willingness, indeed, her eagerness, to explore with me a new pathway has made this thesis an exciting learning experience. There resides, in the basement of an old chapel at the Univer­ sity of Denver, a remarkable group of people. The "Dabrowski Group" provided a source of continuing support and counsel. Every member of this team of researchers has given generously of their time and talent in order to increase my understanding of the Theory of Positive Disin­ tegration, the nature of overexcitability, and the process of scoring the OEQ protocols. Without their magnanimous help, this paper would not have been possible. My wonderful father, Dr. James Gallagher, deserves thanks of a different sort. This man, widely acclaimed in the field of education for the gifted, has been willing to walk the fine line between iii iv professional ethics and familial love. Time and again my father proved to be capable of walking this line with great expertise, and has been simultaneously unendingly supportive and unerringly just. By providing me with an arm to lean on rather than smoothing the road to success, my father has been the best of all possible mentors. Finally, there is a person who has been a catalyst for this work, from my introduction to Dabrowski's theory to the final pages of the thesis. From the day she handed me an article on the Theory of Positive Disintegration, Shirley Schiever has been a companion, a con­ spirator, a peer, a role model, a friend, a confidante, and a counselor. She has given of herself in every way possible, from the use of her car so I could get to school to gather data, to the use of her home as a quiet place to work, to the use of her great intellect and creativity to bounce around new ideas and concepts. Her good humor and positive attitude have bolstered me through the slumps and bumps of the research process, and it is to Shirley Schiever, above all others, that this work is gratefully dedicated. TABLE OP CONTENTS Page LIST OP TABLES vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ix ABSTRACT x 1. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 1 Statement of Problem 1 The Theory of Positive Disintegration 3 Dabrowski, Kohlberg, and Maslow 9 Dabrowski and Giftedness 19 Overexcitabilities 21 Research on OEs 30 Measures of Overexcitability . 38 Creativity and Dabrowski 40 Adolescence 47 Summary of the Literature Review 56 2. METHOD 59 Subjects 59 Instruments 61 Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) 61 California Achievement Test (CAT) 63 Overexcitability Questionnaire (OEQ) 63 Procedure 64 Analysis of Data 71 3. RESULTS 72 Overexcitabilities and the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking 73 Correlations between Overexcitabilities and California Achievement Test Scores 75 Gifted Sample vs. Random Sample 78 Sex Differences 79 v vi TABLE OF CONTENTS, Continued Page 4. DISCUSSION 81 A Brief Overview of the Major Results 81 Overexcitabilities and the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking 84 Gifted Sample of Students vs. Random Sample of Students 90 Scores on the California Achievement Test 91 Sex Differences 94 Fraternal Twins 98 Implications for Studies of the Gifted 103 Implications for Dabrowski's Theory 107 Areas of Future Research 109 Concluding Statement 110 APPENDIX A: ORAL QUESTIONNAIRE 113 APPENDIX B: ISSUES CONCERNING THE ORAL OVEREXCITABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE 115 APPENDIX C; FORMS AND EXPRESSIONS OF PSYCHIC OVEREXCITABILITY 128 APPENDIX D: CRITERIA FOR RATING LEVELS OF INTENSITY OF OVEREXCITABILITIES 131 APPENDIX E: CONSENSUS RATING FORM 133 APPENDIX F: INDIVIDUAL RATING FORM 134 APPENDIX G: EXPANDED INTELLECTUAL OVEREXCITABILITY CRITERIA 135 REFERENCES 137 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Characteristics of the Levels of the Theory of Positive Disintegration 5 2. A Comparison of the Three Types of Disintegration 7 3. A Comparison of Kohlberg's Levels of Moral Development and Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration ... 11 4. A Comparison of the Theories of Maslow and Dabrowski .... 15 5. A Comparison of the High Levels in TPD with Characteristics of Giftedness 20 6. A Description of the Five Modes of Overexcitability .... 26 7. A Comparison of the Characteristics of Overexcitabilities and Giftedness 31 8. Characteristic Changes Associated with Adolescence 48 9. Characteristics of the Sample Groups 60 10.
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