Identyfikacja i wspieranie rozwoju uczniów zdolnych. Perspektywa nauczycieli wczesnej edukacji

Abstract

The presented dissertation is situated in the field of social sciences in the discipline of pedagogy. It explores teachers' implicit theories regarding the conceptualization of giftedness, the identification of gifted students in grades I-III of primary school, and the support of their development from the perspective of teachers' fulfilment of their professional role. The empirical basis of this dissertation is consisting of research conducted in May and June 2022, utilizing the diagnostic survey method and an questionnaire technique. Data obtained from the closed questions were analyzed using a range of statistical methods, including descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis. The open-ended question concerning the description of the gifted child with whom the teacher had worked with, was explored using both quantitative and qualitative content analysis methods. The study sample consisted of 484 individuals, with 99% of the respondents being women. The obtained results provide a significant contribution to the understanding of teachers' implicit theories concerning the conceptualization of giftedness, the identification of gifted students, and the support of their development by early education teachers. These findings are detailed in the dissertation. Two issues deserve particular emphasis. The first pertains to the statistically significant differences in beliefs between teachers with the shortest and longest work experience, as well as the varying impact of the "school climate" on the methods of supporting the development of students' giftedness. The second issue relates to the stereotypical approaches to gifted girls and boys.