Metaphoric Perceptions Of Gifted And Talented Students About School Principal

Abstract

In Turkey, the students who are determined as gifted by the measurement, evaluation and diagnosis processes carried out by the Ministry of National Education, after the regular schools where they are formally educated, receive private education in the Science and Art Centers, which are also affiliated to the ministry. These students, who are identified as gifted, learn faster than their peers, are ahead of their peers in creativity, art and leadership, have a special academic ability, the ability to understand abstract ideas, and have a high performance in educational activities. The point of view of these students, who receive a special education and training program individualized according to their abilities in Science and Art Centers, towards the “school principal” in the institutions they study is important. Because these individuals are far ahead of their peers in terms of their creativity, inventiveness, social relations, innovation, leadership, communication and art abilities. The purpose of this research, which was prepared due to the importance of the perspectives of individuals with all these characteristics, is to reveal the metaphorical perceptions of the students, who are defined as special and gifted by the Ministry of National Education, about the school principals in the institutions where they study. For this purpose, the phenomenology approach, one of the qualitative research methods, was chosen within the scope of the research. The data used in the study were obtained from gifted students through metaphors. The research was carried out in a science and art center that provides education to gifted students in the province of Antalya in the 2021-2022 academic year. The study was carried out with gifted students studying at the 5th and 6th grades. In the study, “School Principal is like/similar to ………….. to gifted students. Because……………” forms with spaces are presented. All the data obtained in line with the answers from the gifted students were evaluated with the content analysis method and the metaphorical perceptions of the gifted individuals about the school principal were determined.