Teacher Attitudes toward Academic Acceleration and Accelerated Students in the Netherlands

Abstract

In a survey study, we investigated teacher attitudes toward acceleration and accelerated students in the Netherlands. Teachers ( N = 334) from 31 secondary schools gave their opinion about gifted education and acceleration, and evaluated statements about accelerated students. Most teachers considered a special approach for gifted students advisable and acceleration a useful intervention. Teachers' opinions about accelerated students' social competence, school motivation and achievement, emotional problems, and isolation were qualified by the quantity and quality of prior experience with accelerated students and by their opinion on acceleration in gifted education. In a subsequent intervention study, we examined whether specific information on acceleration and giftedness changes teachers' attitudes toward accelerated students. Teachers who attended the information meeting and received written information expressed more positive opinions about accelerated students' social competence and school achievement and motivation and less negative opinions about emotional problems after intervention. Implications for gifted child education are discussed.

Grade Skipping From the Perspective of Teachers in Germany

“…As such, teachers' acceptance of an educational policy might depend heavily on their beliefs about it but also on their knowledge (Drake, 2006). Often, teachers' negatively tinged attitudes toward giftedness and gifted education can primarily be attributed to a lack of knowledge and understanding (Clark, 2002;Gross, 1994;Vock et al, 2007), and there is evidence that informing teachers about grade skipping might improve their acceptance of it (Hoogeveen et al, 2005). In addition, as Vock et al (2007) argue, increases in the frequency of grade skipping that have been reported in Germany might in fact have led to increases in awareness and in turn to more favorable attitudes.…”

“…Thus, the amount of experience that teachers have with students who have skipped a grade may contribute to teachers' acceptance, too. Accordingly, Hoogeveen et al (2005) showed that teachers' attitudes toward grade skipping were associated with the extent to which they had experience in dealing with accelerated students. Therefore, in the current study, we took into account teachers' perceptions of their knowledge and their experience with students who had skipped a grade when exploring the role that teachers' beliefs about students' development after grade skipping play in teachers' acceptance.…”

“…Using the research literature on the effects of grade skipping on students' development, we identified three relevant dimensions, namely, students' academic development, students' social development, and their motivational and emotional development after skipping a grade (e.g., Robinson, 2004;Rogers, 2004Rogers, , 2015. We also reviewed the scales used in previous studies on teachers' concerns about acceleration (Hoogeveen et al, 2005;Southern et al, 1989). The focus of these studies was slightly different than ours as the items additionally captured beliefs about early admission to primary school (Southern et al, 1989; e.g., " .…”

“…. will be deprived of necessary early childhood experiences") and grade skipping in primary school (Hoogeveen et al, 2005; e.g., "Not accelerate a gifted student in primary school leads to problems in secondary school"). In addition, some of the items assessed a general acceptance of acceleration instead of more specific beliefs about students' development after grade skipping (e.g., "acceleration is unnecessary," "acceleration is not as suitable as enrichment").…”

“…Opinions about the gifted and their education instrument (Gagné & Nadeau, 1991) Questionnaire on teacher attitudes about acceleration and accelerated students (Hoogeveen et al, 2005) Questionnaire on the presumed effects of acceleration (Southern et al, 1989) Research articles (beliefs about students' motivational development) of the variance that existed before rotation. The item loadings on each respective factor were above 0.52 with the exception of two items that showed factor loadings of 0.21 ("After the acceleration, the student will find friends more easily") and 0.03 ("After the acceleration, the student will still not be challenged mentally"; see Table 4 for factor loadings after oblique rotation).…”