The study investigated the effects of special class placement on intellectually gifted students' self-concepts and levels of school satisfaction. Fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade gifted students receiving special educational services in either segregated or regular classroom settings were compared with bright and average ability control groups from the same six school districts (total N = 779). Dependent measures were assessed with the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale (Piers and Harris, 1969) and a section of the Quality of School Life Scale (Epstein and McPartland, 1978). ANOVA and MANOVA analyses were used to test hypotheses. The major hypothesis predicted that at the sixth-grade level, gifted males in special classes would earn higher self-concept scores than gifted females in special classes, with a reverse trend in the regular class condition. This finding in the author's pilot study was inferred to be related to differential sex role socialization. Current analyses revealed that, in fact, gifted females' self-concepts flourished more than males' in special classes at the fifth-grade level, an effect which dropped off at the sixth-grade level. These results and other evidence of a possible developmental trend suggested that differential sex role socialization issues may begin to operate as gifted students reach an early adolescence at the sixth-grade level. Gifted students in both placement conditions reported an equal level of school satisfaction which was comparable to that of control groups. A gifted female edge in level of school satisfaction over males in special classes (an edge typical of females of all ability levels), dropped off by the sixth-grade level. Negative effects on bright and average control group peers by segregating gifted students were not revealed on either the self-concept or school satisfaction measures. Other analyses revealed that gifted and bright children did not differ from each other on self-concept except that bright children reported being happier than gifted children. Both the gifted and bright groups scored higher than average groups on self-concept. Teacher data revealed ambivalence through reports of a wide range of attitudes toward gifted students. Teachers reported that gifted students' behavior reflected sexually stereotypical behaviors.
