Evolving complexity theory (ect) of talent development: A new vision for gifted and talented education

Conceptions of giftedness and talent have undergone significant changes since Galton (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hereditary genius: An inquiry into its laws and consequences</Emphasis>. London, UK: Macmillan, 1869) and Terman (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Genetic studies of genius: Vol. 1, Mental and physical traits of a thousand gifted children</Emphasis>. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1925). The general consensus seems to be that human potential is pluralistic rather than monolithic, dynamic rather than fixed; talent is shaped through developmental interaction with the environment over time in a bidirectional, probabilistic manner, rather than uni-directionally determined. In line with this general trend, I present Evolving Complexity Theory (ECT), a theory of talent development I have built with a developmental systems approach, as an attempt to account for a diverse range of talent outcomes. In this chapter, I first present major arguments of ECT phrased as a set of eight interrelated propositions regarding <Emphasis Type="Italic">what develops</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">how it develops</Emphasis>, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">when it develops</Emphasis>. I then compare ECT with other conceptions of talent development to show how a theoretical synthesis like ECT contributes to our understanding of developmental potential and its short-term and long-term development. Finally, I discuss practical implications of ECT, particularly with respect to educational policy, identification, educational intervention, and psychological guidance.