摘要：Gifted and talented students have always be considered as individuals who are absorb with their own world. Nonetheless, as part of the living community, they are required to interact with their environments. Concomitantly, they need the necessary social skills and empathic understanding to live comfortably within the society. This study examines six dimensions of social skills (the ability to influence others, to manage conflict, leadership, and ability to be a catalyst for change, to bond with others, to work collaboratively, to work as a team and to communicate effectively) and their relationship with empathy among gifted and talented students in Malaysia. Two hundred and forty (male = 81, female = 159) 15-year old gifted and talented students participated in the study. These students were identified as gifted and talented by the Malaysian National Gifted Centre and at present are studying at the centre as full time high school students. Data was collected using Malaysian Emotional Quotient Inventory (MEQI) developed by the researchers. A survey method was used and data was collected during a school holiday program that they have participated. Findings from the study show that all dimensions of social skills correlate positively with empathy (p < 0.00, n = 240) and the r values are more than 0.60. This article also discusses the findings in relation to counseling provision for the gifted and talented.
关键词：Gifted and talented;social skills;empathy;counseling
