Page 83 - 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. 83
Teacher Strategies to Motivate Gifted Students: A Multiple Case Study on Teacher Behavior
Table 1 Descriptives of the Six Participating Teachers Domain Class Type
Teacher Gender Age School A School B
Junior high
Senior high
Junior high
Senior high
Dutch
English
Math
History
Gifted ability
Mixed ability
A female <30 × ×× ×
B female <30 × ××
C male <30 ×××
D female <30 × × ×
E male >50 ×× ×
F male >30 ×××
Notes School A: school with enrichment classes for gifted students. School B: school with
specific policies for gifted students.
scenarios, and with the SDT frame of reference. Hence, we focused on envi-
ronmental characteristics of structure, challenge, choice and cognitive differ-
entiation, autonomy-support, and involvement, which were demonstrated
by the teacher during the lesson observed. Thereafter, we selected the cor-
responding fragments from the video images of the lesson where the ob-
served teacher behaviour was visible. We showed the teacher the selected
fragments of her/his lesson, and asked her/him to recall what s/he was think-
ing about at that time, to explain her/his decision and motives for her/his be-
haviour, and to reflect on the possible effect on gifted students’ motivation
in the particular situation.
Instruments
Taking into account the multifactorial character of optimal learning contexts
in relation to gifted students’ motivation, we used – thoroughly examined
– assessment instruments from research on gifted education, and from re-
search regarding the SDT frame of reference.
To assess teacher behaviour, we used an in-class teacher observation form,
which is applied in a more extensive longitudinal research project – with
three measurement moments – on triggering the motivation of gifted stu-
dents in secondary education schools (schools, N = 17; teachers, N = 103; stu-
dents, N = 1369) (De Boer, Opdenakker, & Minnaert, 2013). In developing the
teacher observation form, De Boer and colleagues used (a) two well-known
teacher observation instruments, comprising important differential instruc-
tional approaches for teachers of gifted students:
– the Classroom Observation Scale-Revised (COS-R), an observation in-
81
Table 1 Descriptives of the Six Participating Teachers Domain Class Type
Teacher Gender Age School A School B
Junior high
Senior high
Junior high
Senior high
Dutch
English
Math
History
Gifted ability
Mixed ability
A female <30 × ×× ×
B female <30 × ××
C male <30 ×××
D female <30 × × ×
E male >50 ×× ×
F male >30 ×××
Notes School A: school with enrichment classes for gifted students. School B: school with
specific policies for gifted students.
scenarios, and with the SDT frame of reference. Hence, we focused on envi-
ronmental characteristics of structure, challenge, choice and cognitive differ-
entiation, autonomy-support, and involvement, which were demonstrated
by the teacher during the lesson observed. Thereafter, we selected the cor-
responding fragments from the video images of the lesson where the ob-
served teacher behaviour was visible. We showed the teacher the selected
fragments of her/his lesson, and asked her/him to recall what s/he was think-
ing about at that time, to explain her/his decision and motives for her/his be-
haviour, and to reflect on the possible effect on gifted students’ motivation
in the particular situation.
Instruments
Taking into account the multifactorial character of optimal learning contexts
in relation to gifted students’ motivation, we used – thoroughly examined
– assessment instruments from research on gifted education, and from re-
search regarding the SDT frame of reference.
To assess teacher behaviour, we used an in-class teacher observation form,
which is applied in a more extensive longitudinal research project – with
three measurement moments – on triggering the motivation of gifted stu-
dents in secondary education schools (schools, N = 17; teachers, N = 103; stu-
dents, N = 1369) (De Boer, Opdenakker, & Minnaert, 2013). In developing the
teacher observation form, De Boer and colleagues used (a) two well-known
teacher observation instruments, comprising important differential instruc-
tional approaches for teachers of gifted students:
– the Classroom Observation Scale-Revised (COS-R), an observation in-
81
