The importance of teaching children and adolescents about affective content has recently become more of a priority in the realm of education, especially when working with gifted learners. The Colorado Department of Education requires that students on Advanced Learning Plans (ALPs) write an annual academic and affective goal. The problem of practice guiding this research is the lack of services and support for gifted adolescents to achieve healthy affective development and to write affective goals. It appears that opportunities for students, especially secondary students, to learn about affective content are limited. This multiple case study examined factors contributing to gifted adolescents’ understanding of affective concepts. Through the use of data including teacher interviews, artifacts of the school environment, and curricular affective resources, this study shows that affective learning opportunities for gifted adolescents are limited in the cases studied. Lack of time for instruction, adults’ lack of understanding of gifted affective needs, and lack of curricular resources were all contributing factors to this problem of practice. Although this study cannot be generalized to all secondary schools, the findings have important implications with regard to instructional practices as they relate to affective instruction for gifted adolescents
