Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions of Teaching Gifted and Talented Learners in General Education Classrooms in the UAE

Year 2019, Volume: 7 Issue: 4, 835 - 847, 15.12.2019

Adeeb Jarrah , Hanan Almarashdi

https://doi.org/10.17478/jegys.628395

Cited By: 10

Abstract

Gifted education has received more attention all over the
world, including UAE, because of its significant contribution in economic
investment.  This quantitative
study aimed to describe and analyze mathematics teacher perceptions toward
teaching gifted learners in general education classrooms in the UAE.  The survey consisted of 19 statements on a 5-
point Likert scale. The survey conducted among 66 teachers. Survey results were
analyzed based on two factors: teacher competency and perceptions about the
effectiveness of gifted learner programs. The results showed general positive
attitudes toward gifted education. More specifically, teachers showed positive
perceptions toward their competency to teach gifted students, while they mostly
held negative perceptions regarding the effectiveness of gifted programs. In
addition, teaching level (cycle1, cycle2, cycle3) impacts teacher perceptions regarding
their competency to teach gifted students and the applied gifted programs in
their schools. However, more research is needed as this study was limited to Al
Ain city teachers.

Keywords

giftedness, teachers’ perceptions, teacher training, self-efficacy beliefs, special education, professional development

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