{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]],"date-time":"2026-06-22T05:49:34Z","timestamp":1782107374215,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":66,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]],"date-time":"2026-06-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782086400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study investigated the role of transformational giftedness in fostering sustainability-related skills among middle school students, focusing on critical thinking, self-regulation, and sustainable-living awareness. Grounded in Sternberg\u2019s transformational giftedness concept, the research explored how advanced cognitive and motivational capacities transform into socially meaningful outcomes. A comparative design involved 266 students (118 gifted attending Science and Arts Centers and 148 non-gifted from public schools). Using validated instruments and multiple regression analyses, the study found that gifted students demonstrated significantly higher levels of critical thinking, self-regulation, and sustainable-living awareness. Importantly, both critical thinking and self-regulation predicted sustainable-living awareness in gifted students, while self-regulation showed only marginal predictive power in the non-gifted group. These results suggest transformational giftedness can drive sustainable behavior and that integrating education for sustainable development into gifted education is crucial. Future research should explore longitudinal and cross-cultural pathways to better understand how gifted students contribute to global sustainability goals.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1829418","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]],"date-time":"2026-06-22T05:40:09Z","timestamp":1782106809000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Transformational giftedness and sustainability: the role of critical thinking and self-regulation in sustainable-living awareness"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Zekai","family":"Ay\u0131k","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Special Education, Harran University","place":["\u015eanl\u0131urfa, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Muhammet Davut","family":"G\u00fcl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Special Education, Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University","place":["Tokat, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mehmet Emin","family":"Usta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Educational Sciences, Sakarya University","place":["Sakarya, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"669","DOI":"10.1002\/sd.1931","article-title":"Sustainable development, education for sustainable development, and the 2030 agenda for sustainable development: emergence, efficacy, eminence, and future","volume":"27","author":"Agbedahin","year":"2019","journal-title":"Sustain. 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