The validation of the italian version of the GRS- S (Pfeiffer-Jarosewich, 2003) - gifted rating scales-school form - Umbria data 2019

Giftedness in Italy is still a poorly regulated topic. Moreover, despite the fact that about 5% of the population is gifted, there is no specific compulsory training for teachers. An early identification of the gifted children is therefore desirable. The Gifted Rating Scales (GRS), by Pfeiffer-Jarosewich (2003) are among the most used tools to identify giftedness early, after the IQ test. It is a diagnostically appropriate screening tool, designed to be used simply and effectively by teachers. It is available in two versions, GRS-P (preschool age group 4-6 years) and GRS-S (school age group 6-13 years), and it aims at assessing the teacher's perception of the student's level of competence with respect to peers, in different areas: intellectual ability, scholastic ability, artistic talent, creativity, motivation and leadership (the latter is present only in GRS-S). Given their high psychometric strength, they have been translated and validated in many languages. The validation of the Italian version of the GRS-S was initiated by Beretta-Zanetti on a sample of 449 subjects from Lombardy (northern Italy), to which were added 142 subjects from Rome.As a part of this research, the GRS-S were administered to a sample of 204 children between 6 and 14 years from Central Italy (Umbria Region), after appropriate teacher training. As such, the sample size from Central Italy was expanded.The following properties were then investigated: asymmetry, kurtosis, affectivity and corrected item-total correlation. The internal consistency between scales was evaluated through the Cronbach alpha coefficient and the standard error of measurement. The validity was analysed by correlation of the scales and by exploratory factor analysis. The results showed adequate psychometric properties and a satisfactory internal consistency; however, some critical issues emerged (very high values of the Cronbach alpha index and a 5-factor solution in the exploratory factor analysis) which have been extensively discussed and for which some hypotheses have been advanced (for example redundancy of items and interpretative bias of teachers), while considering the limited sample size of this research and recognizing the value of the studies on the same instrument that preceded it.Therefore, the reliability of the Italian version of the GRS-S is confirmed, and for greater completeness of the data and homogeneity of the sample, it would be advisable to collect data from a sample from schools in Southern Italy.