Comparison of Social Skills and Test Anxiety in Gifted, Pseudo-Gifted and Normal Adolescent

The aim of this study was comparison of social skills and test anxiety in gifted, pseudo-gifted and normal adolescents. The research design was descriptive and causal-comparative. The sample consisted of 147 students (50 gifted, 47 pseudo-gifted and 50 ordinary) who were selected from the gifted and ordinary high school students of Isfahan province using the convenient sampling method and according to the inclusion criteria. Raven IQ test was used to distinguish between gifted and pseudo-gifted students. Participants answered online Social Skills Rating System (SSRS-SS) and the FRIEDBEN Test Anxiety Scale. Data were analyzed using MANOVA and LSD post hoc test. The results of multivariate tests showed a general and significant difference between the mean of social skills and test anxiety between the three groups. The between-subject effects test showed that the effects of self-control and cooperation (social skills), and cognitive obstruction (test anxiety) were significant. The results of LSD showed that the mean of self-control of gifted students is significantly higher than other groups. The mean of cooperation of pseudo- gifted students is significantly lower than other groups. The results of this study show the need to separate pseudo-gifted students from gifted students in gifted schools in Iran.