Perceptions of teachers from rural school districts regarding the identification and programs for gifted students

There is little known about teacher beliefs regarding identification and programs for gifted students, and even fewer studies of those in rural settings. The intent of this two-phase, sequential mixed methods study was to ascertain teacher perceptions pertaining to gifted students and their education. Teachers' perceptions are inherently critical to ensuring gifted students receive the services they need and are able to make successful progress in their learning with respect to their individual gifts and talents. This study examined teacher perceptions of the identification and programs for gifted students in rural, Pennsylvania communities. The study utilized a thirty-five question, Likert scale survey to ascertain teachers' positive or negative attitudes pertaining to identifying students who possess gifted attributes. The survey also explored programmatic changes in using supports, ability grouping, and acceleration with gifted students. The information gleaned by the results illustrated a mostly negative perception of both the identification and programs for gifted students. Teachers were queried through an interview format to glean more information and to delve deeper into the factors contributing to teachers' beliefs and the impact on the identification and programs of gifted learners. An expected finding revealed a significant negative relationship existed between the teachers' opinion of the identification of gifted students, and their opinion of providing programs for gifted students. The results of this study indicated if a teacher positively perceived the identification of gifted students, then their perceptions of gifted programs was more negative. Conversely, when teachers expressed more negative views about identifying students as gifted, their opinions about gifted programs such as acceleration and ability grouping were more positive. This is an important finding as school districts look for solutions to ensuring gifted and high ability students make continual progress throughout their education.