Nurturing the Missing Link: Unleashing Talent and Giftedness for Critical Human Capacity Development in Nation Building

Le résumé fourni par la source

Investing in gifted and talented education potentially develops vital human capital necessary for rapid growth of society and economic prosperity. In the developed nations, support and opportunity for gifted students receive far more attention compared to developing African nations. In these nations, creative instructional approaches to develop the gifted are limited. This study explored ten mathematics and science teachers’ perspectives about giftedness with a focus on how they provide for gifted children’s diverse learning needs in Ghanaian schools. Seven school dropouts were also interviewed to understand the challenges they experienced in school. The study drew on data from semi-structured interviews and document reviews. Results showed that the gifted are overlooked making potentially limiting their future opportunities vulnerable as teachers had little knowledge about giftedness and gifted education instruction. Teachers misunderstood identification, acceleration and differentiated learning techniques and ignored them in developing gifted children as they held varied naïve view patterns and stereotypes in accommodating these children. Only the academically able mathematics and science children were recognised as gifted. The gifted, the average, the gifted but disabled and below average children go through the school system unnoticed. Findings can inform policy on giftedness and gifted education practices. Creative approaches to integrate gifted education within teacher education programs to curtail teachers’ stereotypic and naïve belief patterns about the phenomenon in contemporary society.

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