Jonathan Wai
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 2746095 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Jonathan Wai |
| NOMBRES | Jonathan |
| APELLIDO | Wai |
| FIRMA | WAI J |
| AFILIACIONES | Arkansas Department of Education |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7686-1312 |
| VERIFICADO | Sí |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 13 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 1 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 13 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2009 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 1 |
Quantile Regression of Cognitive Ability and Achievement Inequality Before and After the Pandemic in One State
This study draws from two cohorts of students (total N = 10,508) to examine cognitive ability and achievement inequality around the COVID-19 pandemic. Before and after the pandemic, two groups of Arkansas students were given both the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), which is considered more of an ability or reasoning measure, and the ACT-Aspire, which is considered more of an achievement measure. We use a quantile regression framework to examine…
Universal Screening in Practice
Research shows that many academically accomplished students from disadvantaged backgrounds are not identified for gifted and talented programs. This study investigates a large sample of more than 10,000 students that took both the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and the American College Testing (ACT) Aspire test. We examined test similarities and differences with an eye to widen the net for gifted identification in practice. This study demonstra…
Transcranial magnetic stimulation in cocaine use disorder and the risk of seizure
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has emerged as a promising intervention for cocaine use disorder (CUD). However, a key concern when employing TMS in CUD is the potential risk of seizures. Our goal was to assess seizure risk in individuals with CUD undergoing TMS and to propose parameters that could mitigate it. Our review of the literature indicated that seizures are primarily associated with high-dose cocaine use necessitating urgent med…
Updating the Spatial Activities and Videogame Survey for Use in Development Research
Childhood experiences and activities, including sports, videogames, and toys, have long been of interest in understanding cognitive development and later individual differences. In particular, the malleability of spatial reasoning suggests that early experiences, including a variety of spatial activities, may have a significant impact on the development of students’ spatial ability skills. In the present study, we sought to update the most widely…
On the Decline of Elite-Educated Republicans in Congress
We identify a rise in educational polarization among members of the US Congress mirroring the educational polarization in the American mass public. Over the past half-century, the percentage of Republican representatives who attended elite educational institutions declined from 40% to 15%, and the percentage of similarly educated Republican senators declined from 55% to 35%, while the ranks of elite-educated Democrats rose in both chambers. These…
The most successful and influential Americans come from a surprisingly narrow range of ‘elite’ educational backgrounds
The highest-achieving figures in politics, business, academia, and the media dominate public discourse and wield great influence in society. Education—perhaps especially at “elite” colleges and universities—may lie at the heart of the divide between the general public and these top achievers. In this paper, we build a new data set for the American “elite” and systematically examine the link between selective schools and outstanding achievements. …
Method considerations for school psychology from longitudinal research on gifted students
Can You Ever Be Too Smart for Your Own Good? Comparing Linear and Nonlinear Effects of Cognitive Ability on Life Outcomes
Despite a long-standing expert consensus about the importance of cognitive ability for life outcomes, contrary views continue to proliferate in scholarly and popular literature. This divergence of beliefs presents an obstacle for evidence-based policymaking and decision-making in a variety of settings. One commonly held idea is that greater cognitive ability does not matter or is actually harmful beyond a certain point (sometimes stated as > 100 …
Communicating What We Know and What Isn’t So
The field of psychology has a long history of encouraging researchers to disseminate their findings to the broader public. This trend has continued in recent decades in part because of professional psychology organizations reissuing calls to “give psychology away.” This recent wave of calls to give psychology away is different because it has been occurring alongside another movement in the field—the credibility revolution in which psychology has …
How talented low-income kids are left behind
Finding and developing talented youth from low-income backgrounds is an ongoing challenge for U.S. gifted education policy. These students face strong headwinds, whereas advantaged students enjoy favorable tailwinds, and these factors accumulate throughout K-12, higher education, and beyond. Jonathan Wai and Frank C. Worrell explain how talented low income kids are left behind. They discuss the historical tension between the development of excell…
Making space for spatial talent
Spatial reasoning — the ability to mentally visualize, transform, and recognize symbolic information — is known to predict long-term success in many educational and occupational areas, including in STEM. Despite this, spatial reasoning measures are virtually absent in K-12 tests. Thus, such strengths are not prioritized in gifted identification and talent development. Joni Lakin and Jonathan Wai discuss why spatial reasoning matters for finding a…
Spatially gifted, academically inconvenienced
BackgroundSpatially talented students have a capacity for success that is too often overlooked by educational services. Because these students may lack appropriate challenge, theorists suggest these students experience greater academic struggles than other gifted students, including behavioural problems and lack of academic engagement.AimsThe goal of this research was to explore empirical evidence for the claim that spatially talented students wo…
Spatial ability for STEM domains
The importance of spatial ability in educational pursuits and the world of work was examined, with particular attention devoted to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) domains. Participants were drawn from a stratified random sample of U.S. high schools (Grades 9–12, N 400,000) and were tracked for 11 years; their longitudinal findings were aligned with pre-1957 findings and with contemporary data from the Graduate Record Exam…
Spatially gifted, academically inconvenienced
BackgroundSpatially talented students have a capacity for success that is too often overlooked by educational services. Because these students may lack appropriate challenge, theorists suggest these students experience greater academic struggles than other gifted students, including behavioural problems and lack of academic engagement.AimsThe goal of this research was to explore empirical evidence for the claim that spatially talented students wo…
Spatial ability for STEM domains
The importance of spatial ability in educational pursuits and the world of work was examined, with particular attention devoted to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) domains. Participants were drawn from a stratified random sample of U.S. high schools (Grades 9–12, N 400,000) and were tracked for 11 years; their longitudinal findings were aligned with pre-1957 findings and with contemporary data from the Graduate Record Exam…
How talented low-income kids are left behind
Finding and developing talented youth from low-income backgrounds is an ongoing challenge for U.S. gifted education policy. These students face strong headwinds, whereas advantaged students enjoy favorable tailwinds, and these factors accumulate throughout K-12, higher education, and beyond. Jonathan Wai and Frank C. Worrell explain how talented low income kids are left behind. They discuss the historical tension between the development of excell…
Making space for spatial talent
Spatial reasoning — the ability to mentally visualize, transform, and recognize symbolic information — is known to predict long-term success in many educational and occupational areas, including in STEM. Despite this, spatial reasoning measures are virtually absent in K-12 tests. Thus, such strengths are not prioritized in gifted identification and talent development. Joni Lakin and Jonathan Wai discuss why spatial reasoning matters for finding a…
Spatially gifted, academically inconvenienced
BackgroundSpatially talented students have a capacity for success that is too often overlooked by educational services. Because these students may lack appropriate challenge, theorists suggest these students experience greater academic struggles than other gifted students, including behavioural problems and lack of academic engagement.AimsThe goal of this research was to explore empirical evidence for the claim that spatially talented students wo…
Can You Ever Be Too Smart for Your Own Good? Comparing Linear and Nonlinear Effects of Cognitive Ability on Life Outcomes
Despite a long-standing expert consensus about the importance of cognitive ability for life outcomes, contrary views continue to proliferate in scholarly and popular literature. This divergence of beliefs presents an obstacle for evidence-based policymaking and decision-making in a variety of settings. One commonly held idea is that greater cognitive ability does not matter or is actually harmful beyond a certain point (sometimes stated as > 100 …
Communicating What We Know and What Isn’t So
The field of psychology has a long history of encouraging researchers to disseminate their findings to the broader public. This trend has continued in recent decades in part because of professional psychology organizations reissuing calls to “give psychology away.” This recent wave of calls to give psychology away is different because it has been occurring alongside another movement in the field—the credibility revolution in which psychology has …
The most successful and influential Americans come from a surprisingly narrow range of ‘elite’ educational backgrounds
The highest-achieving figures in politics, business, academia, and the media dominate public discourse and wield great influence in society. Education—perhaps especially at “elite” colleges and universities—may lie at the heart of the divide between the general public and these top achievers. In this paper, we build a new data set for the American “elite” and systematically examine the link between selective schools and outstanding achievements. …
Method considerations for school psychology from longitudinal research on gifted students
Updating the Spatial Activities and Videogame Survey for Use in Development Research
Childhood experiences and activities, including sports, videogames, and toys, have long been of interest in understanding cognitive development and later individual differences. In particular, the malleability of spatial reasoning suggests that early experiences, including a variety of spatial activities, may have a significant impact on the development of students’ spatial ability skills. In the present study, we sought to update the most widely…
On the Decline of Elite-Educated Republicans in Congress
We identify a rise in educational polarization among members of the US Congress mirroring the educational polarization in the American mass public. Over the past half-century, the percentage of Republican representatives who attended elite educational institutions declined from 40% to 15%, and the percentage of similarly educated Republican senators declined from 55% to 35%, while the ranks of elite-educated Democrats rose in both chambers. These…
Quantile Regression of Cognitive Ability and Achievement Inequality Before and After the Pandemic in One State
This study draws from two cohorts of students (total N = 10,508) to examine cognitive ability and achievement inequality around the COVID-19 pandemic. Before and after the pandemic, two groups of Arkansas students were given both the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), which is considered more of an ability or reasoning measure, and the ACT-Aspire, which is considered more of an achievement measure. We use a quantile regression framework to examine…
Universal Screening in Practice
Research shows that many academically accomplished students from disadvantaged backgrounds are not identified for gifted and talented programs. This study investigates a large sample of more than 10,000 students that took both the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and the American College Testing (ACT) Aspire test. We examined test similarities and differences with an eye to widen the net for gifted identification in practice. This study demonstra…
Transcranial magnetic stimulation in cocaine use disorder and the risk of seizure
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has emerged as a promising intervention for cocaine use disorder (CUD). However, a key concern when employing TMS in CUD is the potential risk of seizures. Our goal was to assess seizure risk in individuals with CUD undergoing TMS and to propose parameters that could mitigate it. Our review of the literature indicated that seizures are primarily associated with high-dose cocaine use necessitating urgent med…
Psychology (8 obras) · Cognition (5 obras) · Education, Achievement, and Giftedness (5 obras) · Sociology (5 obras) · Cognitive Abilities and Testing (4 obras) · Developmental psychology (4 obras) · Gifted education (4 obras) · Mathematics education (4 obras) · Spatial Cognition and Navigation (4 obras) · Pedagogy (3 obras)