The Perceptions of the Preschool Teachers Regarding Identification and Education of Gifted Children

This study sought to examine the pre-school teachers' perceptions of giftedness. In this research, which was designed as a qualitative study, a semi-structured interview form was used. We conducted interviews with 40 preschool teachers who are working at public and private schools in Aydin province through criterion sampling method. Content analysis technique was used in the analysis of interview data. Research results indicated that teachers mostly defined giftedness as excellence and superiority in dimensions of performance, intelligence, creativity, and talent. The participants more frequently emphasized the need for expert assessment in the identification of giftedness. Identifying the giftedness in pre-school period was considered important in terms of academic and talent development of children. In the education of gifted children, the use of additional activities and segregated education system was mostly emphasized. For the arrangement of classroom environment, the use of materials and learning centers were frequently expressed. While there were various difficulties encountered in the education of gifted children, it was a noteworthy finding that teachers reported low self-efficacy for teaching gifted children.