Competencies of Teachers of Gifted Learners: The Hong Kong Student Perspective

Abstract

The study investigated competencies of teachers of gifted letlrners as perceived by Chinese students in Hong Kong secondmy schools. The Chinese version of the gifted teacher competencies questionnaire (Hultgren, 1981;Nelson & Prindle, 1992) WllS Rdministered to 457 senior secondary school students.While aU 23 competencies in the questionnaire were rated as "essentiar by the students, "skills in promoting higher level cognitive thinking abilities and questioning techniques", "knowledge of nature and needs of gifted students", "knowledge of special affoctive and cognitive needs of the gifted underachiever", "ability to develop creative problem solving skills", "knowledge of affective/psychological needs of the gifted students", "extension and enrichment of subject area" were perceived as the six "most essential" comptttncils for tttu:hers of gifted learners. "Ability to develop creative problem solving slcills" and "knowledge of special affective and cognitive needs of the gifted underachievers" were rattd signifiamtly "more essential" by students who perceived themselves as gifted persons than other students. TM discussion of preptm~tion of teachers for meeting the gifted learners' needs in regular classrooms and beyond is relevant to educators, guidance professionals, and policy-makers in Hong Kong and other parts of the world

Gifted Education in Hong Kong: A School-Based Support Program Catering to Learner Diversity

“…In this respect, the lack of systemic professional training for school personnel and insufficient support for schools have hindered the development of gifted education in Hong Kong (Chan, 2001; Chan et al, 2009). As teachers play a vital role in nurturing the critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative skills of gifted students (Diezmann et al, 2004), enhancing teachers’ capacity and competency is crucial to promoting gifted education (Rowley, 2012, Yuen, 2004; Yuen et al, 2018).…”