Teachers' and principals' perceptions and attitudes toward educating the gifted and students as coresearchers

The purpose of the study was to investigate teacher attitudes and knowledge of giftedness, and self-reported teaching practices; compare the perceptions of principals and teachers about differentiated learning; involve gifted students as “co-researchers”; and examine the perceived impact of principals’ actions for school-wide differentiation. Participants included 867 teachers, 120 principals, and 802 students from government schools in Sydney, Australia. A mixed methods approach was used, including online questionnaires for the participants; student-teacher interviews; and four case studies of principals. Results suggested significant differences in attitudes and practices between teachers working with gifted and mainstream students; non-significant correlations between perceptions of principals and teachers about teaching gifted learners; and the need for greater student choice and leadership for school-wide differentiation.