Teachers' perspective on gifted students with extraordinary learning potential: a descriptive study with primary and secondary teachers

Abstract

In countries with no clear policy regarding gifted students, teachers are vital. Norway is such a case. Teachers might have stereotypical views and need knowledge about gifted students to facilitate them appropriately. This article aims to give descriptive insights into teachers’ views and perceptions of students with extraordinary learning potential (gifted) in Norway. To examine this, we used a survey of primary and secondary school teachers (N = 339), exploring teachers’ self-evaluated need for knowledge, how teachers evaluate different characteristics, and the teachers’ open-ended descriptions. We also report descriptive statistics from the survey. The results indicate that the Norwegian teachers wanted more knowledge about gifted students; they reported positive characteristics like performing well and being hardworking and intelligent but also being bored and, to some degree, displaying disruptive behavior. Here, 74% of the teachers reported they had experiences with teaching gifted students. One implication is including giftedness as a topic in teacher education. Our study points to important areas for further research – for example, more in-depth research with Norwegian teachers on their view and characterization of gifted students.