Teachers' attitudes towards gifted programs and provisions: An Australian study of primary and secondary school teachers

Abstract

An exploration was made in this study of the factors that affect teachers' attitudes towards gifted programs and provisions. For this purpose, survey data obtained from 182 Australian primary and secondary school teachers on a modified version of the Survey of Attitudes Towards Gifted Students and Gifted Education (Jung, 2014) were analysed using exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. A major finding of the study was that perceived knowledge of giftedness was a positive predictor of support for gifted programs/provisions, and a negative predictor of perceptions that gifted programs are elitist. Moreover, primary teachers were found to be more supportive of gifted programs than secondary school teachers. Interestingly, and in contrast with previous research, teachers who reported having substantial contact with gifted people were found to be less supportive of gifted programs and provisions than teachers with a low level of contact. The findings of the study may have significant implications for educators and policymakers seeking to improve teachers' attitudes toward gifted programs and provisions.