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Developing Talent in Science: Breaking the Gifted Education Taboo

Project description

Supporting gifted students in inclusive education

Gifted students often face a dilemma in inclusive education (IE) systems designed to cater to all learners. While these systems focus on the needs of average or lower-achieving students, the unique needs of gifted individuals, especially in science, are often overlooked. This neglect can lead to underachievement, bullying, and even depression. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the DeTaSci project aims to break the taboo around gifted education by exploring how gifted students’ socio-emotional and academic needs are met in inclusive science classrooms. By examining the experiences of students, parents, and teachers in Finland and Sweden, the project seeks to uncover best practices, showcasing strategies like acceleration and grouping that could enhance gifted students’ potential.

Objective

The proposed project Developing talent in science: Breaking the gifted education taboo seeks to gain new insight of how to address gifted students needs in inclusive education (IE) systems. IE systems, described as one school for all aim to ensure education is accessible for all students, however in reality have focused on the needs of average or lower-achieving students. Gifted education (GE) has been considered elitist, even taboo, and thus the needs of gifted students have been largely neglected in IE policies and schools pedagogical strategies. However, individuals gifted in science are key persons to develop responses to societal challenges and to increase innovation and economic competitiveness if the education system allows them to develop their potential into actual competencies. Neglecting gifted students needs may also lead to negative consequences such as underachievement, bullying, and depression. The project will include the perspectives of gifted and regular students, parents and science teachers, and compare the results from Sweden and Finland using mixed methods. It will examine how gifted students socioemotional and learning-related needs are supported in inclusive science classrooms and what are gifted students and their parents lived experiences of specific GE strategies, such as acceleration and grouping two potentially very effective but understudied and underused strategies in inclusive GE. The project will also examine how science teachers support gifted students learning with regard to competence development teachers have had or wish to have, and it seeks to find and showcase the best practices in inclusive GE. The project will produce highly relevant scientific knowledge from the IE context and improve teacher education; strong research-based teacher education manifests in higher science competencies among all students. The impact will extend beyond the Nordic context, as IE has recently generated significant global interest.

Keywords

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01

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Coordinator

KARLSTADS UNIVERSITET
Net EU contribution
€ 252 180,00
Address
UNIVERSITETSGATAN 2
651 88 Karlstad
Sweden
Region
Norra Sverige Norra Mellansverige Värmlands län
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
No data