Perceptions of gifted young people experiencing life-threatening illness and perceptions of their caregivers: A qualitative study of living and coping with pain.

Abstract

The research study explores and analyzes the nature of gifted young people's perceptions in experiencing life-threatening illness and the perceptions of their caregivers. The thesis is interdisciplinary in its framework and methodology. Contemporary issues in giftedness as applied to handicapped children, the nature of pain and the actualization of story-mode in conceptualizing theory are implicit in the work. Two methodologies are used in this study and are related but distinct in their focus, analysis and revelations. The children's case studies are formulated and written as actual stories. Two forms of analysis are applied to the stories. In the first section, a naturalistic inquiry using ethnographic analysis, interwoven literature review and analysis of caregiver perceptions are examined. The caregiver perceptions include illustrative examples from the researchers case studies, as well as gifted life-threatened (within the definitions of this study) children for whom they have cared in their professional work lives. In the second phase of this thesis, the researcher suspends the major themes identified in the naturalistic analysis and explores the essence of the gifted-lifethreatened children's expression and use of humour. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)