Examining Teachers’ Needs,Competencies,and Knowledge in Gifted Education for Professional Learning

Abstract

The current knowledge and competence level of teachers concerning gifted education in Türkiye is not well-studied that may hinder the development of need-based planning of teacher training programs. The aim of this study is to explore teachers’ needs, competencies, and level of perceived knowledge in gifted education. In a mixed methods study, data were collected with focus group discussions and online questionnaires. The results of thematic analysis and descriptive statistics revealed that teachers were less knowledgeable on some topics (e.g., gifted education in the world, preparing the Individualized Educational Program, gamification in gifted education, identification of gifted students, and different assessment strategies in gifted education) than other topics (e.g., project-based thinking and project development and communication with gifted students’ parents). The findings have implications for developing teacher training programs in gifted education.

Keywords

gifted education focus group teacher education professional development

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