Analyzing Teachers' Competencies in Regular Classroom Practice With Gifted Students in Slovenia

Abstract

The highest level of educational quality can be achieved with teachers' awareness of their fundamental responsibilities in teaching gifted and talented students, knowing their capacities and characteristics and their different needs. The chapter presents research on teachers' self-assessment of their competencies, efficacy, and attitudes towards gifted students in Slovenia. Such students should have the opportunity to develop their skills not being limited by the class average. A selection of appropriate teaching personnel is needed to accomplish such achievement. The obtained results are presented in relation to three research questions and expose that teachers in Slovenia are usually inadequately informed on working approaches with gifted students; they tend to have low self-esteem in identifying children personal characteristics and commonly choose inappropriate teaching strategies. The study discusses different options that would allow teachers to ensure as best education for the gifted children.