Giftedness in the Eyes of Future Educators: A Pre-Post Mixed Methods Investigation

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 5:10 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Enhancing Teacher Preparation: Validating Inquiry-Based Practices, Critical Assessment, and Evolving Perceptions in Education (Table 8)

Abstract

This mixed methods study explored pre-service teacher perceptions and the use of academic, behavioral, and social-emotional characteristics in gifted identification. Fourteen pre-service teachers completed a survey before and after participating in a Midwestern university’s introductory gifted education course. The study utilized a convergent design with a questionnaire variant, simultaneously collecting quantitative and qualitative data within the surveys. Findings revealed no major changes in pre-service teachers' perceptions and use of academic characteristics, as they still relied on these characteristics to determine giftedness despite course intervention. The stark contrast in using and interpreting social-emotional and behavioral characteristics versus academic indicates pre-service teachers possess a unidimensional definition of giftedness, focusing largely on academic performance. Implications for gifted identification and teacher preparation are discussed.

Authors

• Alia Nerys Pineda Medina, Purdue University

• Alissa P. Cress, Purdue University