Abstract:

Gifted children are individuals who demonstrate exceptional talents in some areas (Bainbridge, 2009). The minds of the gifted children are often ahead of their physical growth, and specific cognitive and emotional functions are often developed differently at different stages of their development. Social capital is an asset resulting from people’s actions that constitutes a particular kind of resources available to an actor which can be used to increase or inhibit the potential of intelligence. Since social capital exists in the relations among persons, some aspects of social structures are involved to nurture the development of intelligence and the synergy of intelligence with other resources through social relations will produce different outcomes (Coleman, 1988). The objective of this study is to discover what and how components of social relation can contribute to the value of the outcomes produced which is expected to maximize the potential of gifted children. This study focuses on the issues of social network between children and among friends of gifted children to explore the structural and relational elements of social capital that will enhance intelligence through knowledge sharing. The structural aspects of social capital involve the physical elements that create the ambience for knowledge sharing in the form of classroom environment, teaching approach and learning material. The relational elements involve social trust, obligations, shared norms and reciprocity that permit cooperation and sharing of knowledge between parents and friends. Therefore, this study aims to explore the role of social capital by discovering what and how components of social relation can maximize the potential of gifted children through knowledge sharing. The study identifies structural and relational elements of social capital that encourage knowledge sharing activities within the social network surrounding the gifted children. The findings of this study will assist Program Permata Pintar Negara in developing balanced programs for gifted children that not only nurture their intelligence but also induce knowledge expansion and absorption through sharing with others. The main contribution of this study is a social capital model targeting at enhancing educational programs in Malaysia by capitalizing on the potential of gifted children.

Keywords:

Gifted children, social capital, knowledge sharing.