Page 135 - Kukanja Gabrijelčič, Mojca, and Maruška Seničar Željeznov, eds. 2018. Teaching Gifted and Talented Children in A New Educational Era. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
P. 135
How Kindergarten Teachers Perceive
Giftedness and What They Require
for Their Work with Gifted
Preschool Children
Maruška Željeznov Seničar
MIB d.o.o., Slovenia
maruska@mib.si
Borut Seničar
MIB d.o.o., Slovenia
borut.senicar@mib.si
The present study suggests that teachers hold a variety of views regarding the
potential giftedness of preschool children. These views differ within and be-
tween the two countries studied, as well as between generations. The partic-
ipants in the study expressed their position, from most to least, on the quali-
tative, multi-category, comparative and holistic concepts of giftedness. Jointly
and in each country separately, the teachers regard the role of parents in iden-
tifying potential giftedness as more important than their own. The study shows
that the identification of gifted preschool children is regarded as important
by 95.7 of Croatian teachers and 75 of Slovenian teachers, and that 67.74
of Croatian teachers and 41.89 of Slovenian teachers identified potentially
gifted preschool children in the course of their work. They characterised their
ability to identify potentially gifted children as ‘I can usually recognise a gifted
child’ and ‘I know how to recognise a gifted child.’ Over half the respondents
stated that they did not work in a systematic way with gifted preschool chil-
dren. They pointed out that they required training in identifying and working
with potentially gifted preschool children, materials, teaching strategies, ap-
proaches to identification and adequate legislation.
Keywords: kindergarten teachers, perception of giftedness, gifted children,
identification, teaching strategies
Introduction
Perception of Giftedness
According to Moon (2006), definitions of giftedness can be conceptual or
operational. Conceptual definitions are frequently based on theory and re-
search, e.g. the Three-Ring Conception of Giftedness (Renzulli, 1986) and the
Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT) (Gagné, 2003, 2005).
Operational definitions are more practical and give guidelines for formulat-
133
Giftedness and What They Require
for Their Work with Gifted
Preschool Children
Maruška Željeznov Seničar
MIB d.o.o., Slovenia
maruska@mib.si
Borut Seničar
MIB d.o.o., Slovenia
borut.senicar@mib.si
The present study suggests that teachers hold a variety of views regarding the
potential giftedness of preschool children. These views differ within and be-
tween the two countries studied, as well as between generations. The partic-
ipants in the study expressed their position, from most to least, on the quali-
tative, multi-category, comparative and holistic concepts of giftedness. Jointly
and in each country separately, the teachers regard the role of parents in iden-
tifying potential giftedness as more important than their own. The study shows
that the identification of gifted preschool children is regarded as important
by 95.7 of Croatian teachers and 75 of Slovenian teachers, and that 67.74
of Croatian teachers and 41.89 of Slovenian teachers identified potentially
gifted preschool children in the course of their work. They characterised their
ability to identify potentially gifted children as ‘I can usually recognise a gifted
child’ and ‘I know how to recognise a gifted child.’ Over half the respondents
stated that they did not work in a systematic way with gifted preschool chil-
dren. They pointed out that they required training in identifying and working
with potentially gifted preschool children, materials, teaching strategies, ap-
proaches to identification and adequate legislation.
Keywords: kindergarten teachers, perception of giftedness, gifted children,
identification, teaching strategies
Introduction
Perception of Giftedness
According to Moon (2006), definitions of giftedness can be conceptual or
operational. Conceptual definitions are frequently based on theory and re-
search, e.g. the Three-Ring Conception of Giftedness (Renzulli, 1986) and the
Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT) (Gagné, 2003, 2005).
Operational definitions are more practical and give guidelines for formulat-
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