[[alternative]]The Inquiry of Gifted Sixth Graders’Meaning in Life

[[abstract]]The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how gifted sixth graders inquiry their meaning in life. By focus group interview, case interview and data of interaction with subjects, what follows are some major findings about the study. The gifted children placed importance on academic study, relationships, obtaining and knowledge-seeking. The first three items were also their sources of pain, while the last three items were influences from important people in their life. The gifted children considered academic study a grade transcript. When pursuing good grades, they faced lots of pressure from classmates, parents, and self-expectation. They placed importance on knowledge-seeking more in the future, because they found themselves unable to take leisure time because of homework and extra-curricular learning. They valued the relationships with teachers and their peer group, while having problems interacting with them at the same time. Yet there were teachers they loved and classmates they needed. The gifted children valued obtaining, which to them represented money, substantial objects, motivation, and command. The gifted children extraordinarily depreciated saints and intellects for fear of the fact that dictators and idols would lead the world. The gifted children also depreciated service. They had different thoughts about helpers and those who were helped. The inquiry of gifted sixth graders’ meaning in life may be subject to something. The gifted children were busy with regular and gifted class of the sixth grade, and hard to calm themselves to think about. The gifted characters interacted with their thinking context, and those characters encompassed high sensitivity, perfectionism, and excellent inference. When they faced pain, the influences from group atmosphere and peer group seemed to let them fall in absurdity and anguish between outside comment and inward self. This study followed a case in which the subject was now entering junior high school. The subject’s inquiry of meaning in life was further studied. The gifted children’s interests and needs in life education were generalized. Finally, suggestions for gifted students’ parents, teachers and future researchers were made, as well as suggestions for gifted affection education.