Education is a scientific art and artistic science. One is incomplete without the other.
Talent Development
My primary research focuses on talent development, which can be described as the gradual process of transforming an individual’s abilities into skills, competencies, mastery, and ultimately, excellence. Specifically, I work with middle and high school students and focus on their holistic development including academic, cognitive, social, emotional, and motivational aspects. I examine curricular and instructional aspects of logical and critical thinking, creativity, leadership, motivation, and self-regulated learning. Moreover, I focus on how these aspects can be brought together to develop short-term interventions and long-term programs.
Social-Emotional Learning
I consider non-cognitive aspects of learning to be as important as cognitive aspects. Therefore, I focus attention on a range of social-emotional learning outcomes. Specifically, in my dissertation research, I examined the development of empathy, compassion, and prosocial behavior in adolescents through a psychoeducational intervention. I believe developing a concern for others to be an important goal of education, which can directly contribute to making a positive change in the world.
Equity in Education
A focus on excellence should always be carefully examined from an equity-oriented lens. Therefore, my research also examines racial and other social realities of access to education. Particularly, I study gaps in the identification, access, and missingness of students in gifted education. One of my key focuses is rural education. In my prior work, I have explored the school experiences of students in rural schools in remote regions in India. And currently, in the project entitled, “Access Denied,” I am studying gaps in gifted identification by locale, with a special focus on rural populations.
Recent Publications
Dedhe, A.*, Chowkase, A. A.¶, Gogate, N.¶, Naphade, A.¶, Naphade, R.¶, Kshirsagar, M.¶, Kulkarni, P.&, Raste, S.&, Dharm, A.&, Patankar, S&, Jogdeo, C.&, Sathe, A&, Bapat, V&, Joshi, R.&, Deshmukh, K.&, Lele, S., Manke, K., & Cantlon, J., & Pandit, P. (2024). Estimating excess COVID-19-related deaths: A multi-method approach [in press]. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-57634-6 [Open Access]
Chowkase, A. A., Datar, K., & Dedhe, A. (2024). Concerned creativity to counteract concerning creativity. In R. J. Sternberg & S. Karami (Eds.), Transformational creativity: Learning for a better future (pp. 73–88). Palgrave-Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51590-3_6
Chowkase, A. A., Parra-Martinez, F. A., Ghahremani, M., Finora, G., & Bernstein, Z., & Sternberg, R. J. (2024). Dual-process model of courage. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1376195 [Open Access]
Chowkase, A. A., Desmet, O. A., Datar, K. R., Deshpande, A. A, & Khasnis, S. (2024). Affective outcomes of a summer talent development program: What do students say? Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 47(2), 111-131. https://doi.org/10.1177/01623532241235570 [Open Access]
Mokuria, V., Wandix-White, D., Chowkase, A. A. (2023). Finding golden threads of commonality: An interfaith dialogue sharing experiences during troubled times. The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community, 6(1), Article 1. https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/jfec/vol6/iss1/1 [Open Access]
Chowkase, A. A. (2023). Social and emotional learning for the greater good: Expanding the circle of human concern. Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy. 1, 100003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sel.2023.100003 [Open Access]
Sternberg, R. J., Chowkase, A. A., Parra-Martinez, F. A., & Landy, J. (2022). Criterion-referenced assessment of intelligence as adaptation to the environment: Is it possible, plausible, or practical?. Journal of Intelligence, 10(3), 57. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10030057 [Open Access]
Chowkase, A. A. (2022). Three C’s conception of giftedness: A call for paradigm shift. Gifted Education International. https://doi.org/10.1177/02614294211064703
Chowkase, A. A., Datar, K., Deshpande, A., Khasnis, S., Keskar, A., & Godbole, S. (2022). Online learning, classroom quality, and student motivation: Perspectives from students, teachers, parents, and program staff. Gifted Education International, 38(1), 74–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/02614294211060401
Chowkase, A. A. (2022). A bioecological systems view of school experiences of high-ability students from rural India. Gifted Child Quarterly, 66(1), 41–61. https://doi.org/10.1177/00169862211030311
Chowkase, A. A., & Watve, S. (2022). From I to we: The three C’s conception of gifted education. In R. J. Sternberg, D. Ambrose, & S. Karami (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of transformational giftedness for education. Palgrave-Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91618-3_4
Gentry, M., Desmet, O. A., Karami, S., Lee, H., Green, C., Cress, S., Chowkase, A. A., & Gray, A.(2021). Gifted education’s legacy of high stakes ability testing: Using measures for identification that perpetuate inequity. Roeper Review, 43(4), 242–255. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783193.2021.1967545
Sternberg, R. J., & Chowkase, A. A. (2021). When we teach for positive creativity, what exactly do we teach for? Education Sciences, 11(5), 237. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11050237 [Open Access]
Sternberg, R. J., Chowkase, A. A., Desmet, O. A., Karami, S., Landy, J., & Lu, J. (2021). Beyond transformational giftedness. Education Sciences, 11(5), 192. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11050192 [Open Access]
Chowkase, A. A., & Lee, H. (2020). Bibliographic analysis of the U.S. and Korean studies on twice-exceptional (2e) students and a case study of a 2e learner. Journal of Special & Gifted Education, 7(2),13–38. https://doi.org/10.33125/kdps.2020.7.2.2
Chowkase, A. A., & Lunkad, M. A. (2020). Unlocking potential in the time of COVID-19: How a group of schools in India kept learning uninterrupted during lockdown. In K. J. Fasching-Varner, S. T. Bickmore, D. G. Hays, P. G. Schrader, D. L. Carlson, & D. Anagnostopoulos (Eds.), The corona chronicles: On leadership, processes, commitments, and hope in uncertain times (pp. 133–141). DIO Press.
Policy Recommendations
Chowkase, A. A., & Kanhere, I. (2020). Recommendations to the Ministry of Education on nurturing giftedness in children guiding framework. [Policy document]. Pune, India: Jnana Prabodhini.
Bapat, G. S., Chowkase, A. A., & Nitsure, N. V. (2017). Recommendations for a policy on education of high ability children and youth as an integral part of a comprehensive National Policy on Education [Policy document]. Pune, India: Jnana Prabodhini.
Book Publications
Ponkshe, V. D., Nitsure, N. V., Chowkase, A. A., & Kulkarni, P. D. (Eds.). (2020). Learning to explore: Project by project. Pune, India: Jnana Prabodhini Educational Activity Research Centre. Available here.
Chowkase, A. A. (Ed.). (2018). Nurturing talents: Enhancing potentials of high ability students. Pune, India: Jnana Prabodhini Samshodhan Sanstha.
Chowkase, A. A., & Paranjpe, A. (Eds.). (2009). Prajna bodh 5: Mental ability test. Pune, India: Jnana Prabodhini.
Chowkase, A. A., & Paranjpe, A. (Eds.). (2008). Prajna bodh 4: Mental ability test. Pune, India: Jnana Prabodhini
Research Collaborations
Jnana Prabodhini’s Institute of Psychology, Pune, India
Gifted Education Research and Resource Institute, Purdue University, IN, USA
Dr. Robert J. Sternberg and colleagues, Cornell University, NY, USA
Dr. Dacher Keltner and colleagues, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
Aakash Chowkase 