Editorial: Physical Education among Gifted Students

Alejandro Prieto-Ayuso ^1* Sebastiaan Platvoet ² Mark de Niet ² Álvaro Infantes-Paniagua ¹

• ¹ University of Castilla-La Mancha, Ciudad Real, Spain
• ² HAN University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen, Netherlands

PE is particularly relevant for intellectually gifted and talented students, as they tend to exhibit lower levels of physical self-concept than their non-gifted peers (Infantes-Paniagua et al., 2022). However, scientific literature on this topic is scarce. PE can also be highly beneficial for physically gifted students, offering them additional opportunities to support their development into future elite athletes. Whereas in many countries additional classes for those who stay behind in motor development are common, as far as we know, additional classes for gifted students are still scarce. This can also be seen in scientific literature, where there have been an absence of research on athletic identification in journals that aim to publish about high ability and education (Persson, 2002) that continues until our days.Recent evidence highlights how physical activity can positively influence cognitive, intellectual, academic, emotional, and social dimensions in children and adolescents (e.g., Donnelly et al., 2016). This makes the research topic even more pertinent within the gifted and talented domain. Therefore, we proposed the current research topic with the aim of exploring and synthesizing the latest findings from various research perspectives on this subject. In doing so we raised some questions to the research community: How can physically or intellectually gifted and talented students be identified? It also suggests the consideration of conducting meta-analyses to clarify the existing evidence. 61Together, the four studies highlight the importance of a broad and multidimensional understanding of 62 talent and its development in different contexts, including educational. Each research paper addresses 63a key aspect that contributes to the overall picture: from conceptualizing and identifying talent to 64 preparing educators who play a critical role in supporting gifted and talented students. 65In short, PE plays a fundamental role in the overall well-being of gifted and talented students, 66 through both physical and socio-emotional development. Through structured activities and tailored 67 programs, these students can channel their energy, improve motor coordination, sport related skills, 68 and achieve optimal physical health. Furthermore, PE fosters skills such as teamwork, resilience, and 69 stress management, which are crucial for their personal and social development. Therefore, it is 70 essential to design programs that integrate challenging and enriching activities, promoting and 71supporting not only their gifts and talent but also a holistic well-being that enables them to thrive in 72 all aspects of their lives. 73The development of this research topic has also highlighted several limitations.