Browsing by Author "Grönlund, Matti"

The purpose of this study was to examine how students' in faculty of behavioural sciences understand and determine concept of giftedness, gifted student and teaching methods of gifted students. Research questions were (1) How do you understand and determine the concept of giftedness? (2) How do you recognize a gifted student? (3) How should the teaching of gifted students be differentiated and with what kind of methods? The first section of theory defined giftedness and what is giftedness and also teachers being determiners of giftedness. The second section of theory defined differentiation teaching in gifted students' point of view. The third section defined boundaries for teaching in elementary school. This study was a qualitative research completed with quantitative figures. The research material was gathered from students in faculty of behavioural sciences with a questionnaire. Materials were analyzed with theory-based content analyses. Similarities and differences was found between the research material and the research theory. As was assumed the was no inclusive concept of giftedness to be found based on this study. Also, the recognition of gifted student was found to be difficult and more or less the gifted seemed to be a student who was performing academically well. Problem solving, differentiation in lessons and extra assignments seemed to be the best methods of teaching to gifted students. The least effective was acceleration and quantitative augmentation of assignments.