Undesirable Classroom Behaviours of Gifted and Talented Students and Coping Strategies of Teachers

Introduction: In this study, the aim was to determine the undesired behaviors of gifted and talented students in the classroom and the ways of coping with these behaviors by their teachers. Method: The research was carried out following the basic qualitative research design. The participants of the study included 43 teachers. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed by the descriptive analysis method. Findings: Gifted and talented students exhibited undesirable behaviors such as resisting in the classroom, avoiding responsibility, dealing with extracurricular issues, speaking without permission, disrespect, disorder, aggressive behavior, and hyperactivity. The teachers used the punishment/reward system, trying to find out the cause of the problem, setting rules, meeting families, ignoring them, organizing motivating activities, and increasing their professional competence as a way of coping with these behaviors. Discussion: As a result, the most undesirable in-class behavior exhibited by gifted and talented students was identified as stubborn and oppositional behaviors. On the other hand, the method most frequently used by teachers to deal with undesirable behaviors was punishment/reward. Based on the results of the research, it is suggested that teachers should have information about the cognitive and behavioral characteristics of gifted and talented students, receive relevant training on current education strategies for these students, and apply preventive measures without experiencing behavioral problems in the classroom.