How to Raise Awareness in Society on The Importance of Gifted Students?

Özet

The aim of this study is to reveal views of the prospective teachers of individuals with intellectual disability students on how to raise awareness in society on the importance of gifted children to shape our future. The research has been carried out in the pattern of phenomenological method, a type of qualitative research. The participants of the research are consisted of 78 (46 female and 32 male) senior prospective teachers in the department of education of the mentally disabled program in 2015-2016 academic year. In accordance with the aim, participants have been chosen among those who had selected the “education of gifted students” course also they were senior prospective teachers. The results of the research have been obtained by an open-ended question: What can be done in our society to raise awareness on the importance of gifted students to shape our future? The answers of participants have been analyzed by using content analysis method. According to the results of the analysis, the answers of prospective teachers have been combined in eight subjects as a) Social media, b) Politicians, c) Teachers, d) Families, e) Universities, f) Municipalities, g) Artists and h)Other. Also, we can conclude that participants’ views on raising awareness on the importance of gifted children in the society are similar to practices performed to raise awareness on individuals with intellectual disability.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to reveal opinions of the prospective teachers of mentally handicapped students on how to raise awareness in society on the importance of gifted children to shape our future. The research has been carried out in the pattern of phenomenological method, a type of qualitative research. The participants of the research are consisted of 78 students in total, 46 female and 32 male, who had been studying in the final year of the department of intellectually handicapped teaching in 2015-2016 academic year. In accordance with the aim, participants have been chosen among those who had selected the “education of gifted students” course besides being senior prospective teachers. The results of the research have been obtained by an open-ended question: What can be done in our society to raise awareness on the importance of gifted students to shape our future? The answers of participants have been analyzed by using content analysis method. According to the results of the analysis, the answers of prospective teachers have been combined in eight subjects as a) Social media, b) Politicians, c) Teachers, d) Families, e) Universities, f) Municipalities, g) Artists and h)Other. Mainly we can conclude that participants’ opinions on raising awareness on the importance of gifted children in the society are similar to practices performed to raise awareness on mentally handicapped individuals.