The relation between teachers’ background and school type and their perceptions of the gifted and gifted education

ABSTRACT Teachers’perceptions of their students affect the way they provide opportunities and support for learning. Given that Lebanon has no specific policy or formal school practices for gifted students, it is important to understand what factors might affect education provision to such students. In this study, I investigated perceptions of Lebanese primary school teachers in relation to gifted/highly able students and their education and sought to determine what factors affected these perceptions. I utilized qualitative and quantitative methods in the gathering of data from 281 teachers across three Lebanese governorates. Of the 281 teachers who completed the questionnaire, 12 also participated in the qualitative component, which involved individual semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest how the broader socio-economic cultural context within Lebanon appears to have influenced teachers’ perceptions and the choices made regarding the gifted education provision in classrooms.