Pre-service Primary School Teachers’ Self-efficacy and Attitudes towards Gifted Education: A Survey Study

Abstract

This study explores South Korean pre-service primary teachers’ sense of efficacy and their attitudes towards gifted students, and the relationship between the two variables. Teachers’ self-efficacy and their attitudes towards gifted students are important because they impact teachers’ perception and performance, which in turn could impact on the motivation and academic performance of gifted students and their chance of being identified for gifted education programs. Although many studies have emphasized the positive effects of initial teacher training on pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes towards students, none of the universities in South Korea that offer a bachelor’s degree in primary education provides a compulsory course in gifted education, and elective course offerings are limited. In total, 481 fourth-year South Korean primary education major students participated in the survey. As a result of the survey, significant correlations were found between the pre-service teachers’self-efficacy in teaching gifted students and their supportive attitudes towards gifted students and gifted education. There was a statistically significant difference in the levels of a teacher’s self-efficacy in teaching gifted students as well as supportive attitudes towards gifted education between those who teachers who had or had not taken a course in gifted education.