Teachers in gifted education: Their perception of involvement of and interacting with parents, school leaders, and other teachers

Abstract

Teachers play a central role in the development of gifted students and are important actors in the (educational) system around the gifted student. However, their perceived involvement of and interactions with other actors in that system remains underexplored. Therefore, in this study, we explored teachers’ perceptions of involvement and interactions with key actors in gifted education: parents, school leaders, and other teachers. Furthermore, we aimed to identify facilitators and barriers to effective involvement and interaction as perceived by teachers in gifted education. An exploratory mixed-methods approach was used, involving 302 surveyed teachers from the Netherlands and 20 interviews. Findings revealed varying levels of perceived involvement, with parents being perceived as more involved than school leaders, and other teachers as highly involved. Despite these differences, teachers reported overall satisfaction with involvement and interactions. Satisfaction levels were positively related with increased involvement and interactions. Facilitators included willingness, approachability, and knowledge (sharing), while frequently mentioned barriers included the lack of these factors and the lack of policy. This study provides valuable insights into the opportunities and challenges involved in enhancing and sustaining effective involvement of and interactions with parents, school leaders, and other teachers, from the perspective of teachers in gifted education.