Teaching social skills that enable learning and healthy relationships of high achieving students

Social skills are critical behaviors that enable students to effectively navigate their social lives. Further, social skills function as protective factors against emotional behavior concerns and enable strong academic growth. Social skills can be developed and improved via programs implemented in schools. Students identified as gifted have long faced stereotypes as “nerds” or “geeks” with strong academic but weak social skills. Yet, there are few studies investigating the social skills of these students. Thus, we explicated the definition of social skills, their importance, and instructional approaches supported by research. Further, we utilized a national sample of students who provided self-ratings ( N = 325) or were rated by teachers ( N = 322) to compare the social skills and emotional behavior concerns of students identified as gifted or not gifted. Results indicated few differences with notable exceptions for teacher rated cooperation and responsibility skills. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.