Terman's Kids: The Groundbreaking Study of How the Gifted Grow Up [Hardcover]

Joel N. Shurkin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1992

Exposes previously classified files and interviews with surviving subjects to follow up on the studies of psychologist Lewis Terman, who believed intelligence was inherited and tried to prove it by working with gifted children in 1921.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Terman (1888-1956), the famed psychologist who developed the Stanford-Binet IQ test, believed that "the right education of . . . superior children" in large part would determine the future welfare of our country. In 1922 he constructed the prototype of longitudinal psychological studies when he and his associates began the study of 1500 California children whose IQs were 135 or higher. With periodic follow-ups that remain active, the "Termites," as they were dubbed, provided an enormous database that may not have disclosed the nature of genius but did prove one of Terman's points--gifted children become gifted adults. The research of academic Shurkin, given access to the guarded files on certain conditions of confidentiality, reveals some of the human stories of the Termites, less than half of whom are still alive. Not all felt blessed by the patronage of Terman, who is shown as paternalistic to a fault and wrong-headed regarding feminine and sexual traits and other important characteristics in his experimental group. Shurkin, who teaches journalism as Stanford and is the author of Intensive Care and other books, personalizes a landmark study.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Shurkin (journalism, Stanford) presents an important investigation of Lewis Terman's longitudinal study, launched in 1921, which identified gifted children and followed them throughout their lives. Examining the history of intelligence testing and the development of the study, the author argues that Terman's many biases (which included racism and sexism) strongly affected 20th-century ideas about intelligence and the gifted, especially since the Stanford-Binet IQ test he originated has become the norm. In addition, Terman's belief in tracking led to an elitist system now held up as a model by school "reformers." Readers of Howard Gardner's Frames of Mind ( LJ 10/1/83) and Jeannie Oakes's Keeping Track: How Schools Structure Inequality ( LJ 5/15/85) will also find this enlightening.
- Nancy E. Zuwiyya, Binghamton City Sch. Dist . , N.Y.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 317 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (T); 1st edition (May 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316788902
• ISBN-13: 978-0316788908
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,368,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Introduction to Terman, April 8, 2006

By 

A Pawtuxet Reader (Warwck, RI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Terman's Kids: The Groundbreaking Study of How the Gifted Grow Up (Hardcover)

This book provides a highly informative overview of Terman's famous study of high IQ individuals. Shurkin both critiques Terman's methods and summarizes his findings, in highly readable prose. He provides informative and useful historical context for each section, including some insight into Terman himself. His use of case studies does not detract from his narrative (a danger in so many other books) but instead enhances the various points he makes about Terman, his methods, and his subjects. If you just want to learn the basics about the Terman study, this is a great way to do so. If you plan to study Terman, this is a good place to start. A caution: if you want to learn more about gifted children and gifted education today, this book might be a disappointment to you - it is more a historical background to inform current study.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down, May 1, 2011

By 

Kimberly Sacha "raisin99" (Sammamish, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Terman's Kids: The Groundbreaking Study of How the Gifted Grow Up (Hardcover)

I have heard the Terman study referenced in many books and I really was interested in how it was conducted and the findings. "Terman's Kids" doesn't disappointment here. It is a very thorough look at who Terman was and how this influenced the study. The history of the study is interspersed with a very readable interpretation of the results. Terman's meddling in the lives of his subjects isn't overlooked and really opens your eyes to the pitfalls of social science research. The case studies don't overtake the book, but add a concrete and personal look at the subjects.

The way that Joel Shurkin writes you feel like a true insider to the study by the time you're done reading the book. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in how research is conducted, curious about this particular study or interested in the history of social science research. It is not as enlightening as one might think about gifted children - not a fault of the writing of this book, but of the study itself.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ENJOYABLE AND INFORMATIVE, September 2, 2006

By 

Anne Salazar "inveterate reader" (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Terman's Kids: The Groundbreaking Study of How the Gifted Grow Up (Hardcover)

I read this book when it was first published, over ten years ago, so don't recall all the details. But I do remember that it was enjoyable and informative at once, which many books attempt to be and don't often succeed. The individuals in the case studies were mostly from the Bay Area in California and I am from that area, so this does account for some of my enjoyment and sense of recognition. In any case, it is highly readable and very interesting from a sociological point of view and helps to explain our quest for high intelligence as well as the social consequences of those who possess so-called high intelligence. I am looking for more books with the same subject matter.....