“Raising Gifted Children” Metaphor from the Perspectives of Turkish Gifted and Talented Children’s Parents

In this study, the mental images (metaphors) held by Turkish parents who have children diagnosed as gifted and talented at the age of 6, were examined regarding the concept of raising gifted children. In line with this objective, parents were asked to complete the sentence, “Raising a gifted child is like... because...” The collected data were analyzed using qualitative (content analysis) data analysis techniques. According to the findings of the research, it was observed that parents with gifted children generated a total of 71 valid metaphors regarding the concept of raising their children. These metaphors were categorized under 6 different conceptual categories based on their common characteristics. According to the obtained conceptual categories, raising gifted children was perceived as a demanding and challenging process, a process requiring extra patience and effort, these children were seen as the future of society, and individuals involved with this group of children were required to develop themselves, and it was also seen as a fun and developmental process.