Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 4, Issue 2, Article 5 (Dec., 2003)
Murat GÖKDERE, Mehmet KÜÇÜK and Salih ÇEPNİ
Gifted science education in Turkey: Gifted teachers' selection, perspectives and needs
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Discussion and Conclusions

The selection process for gifted science teachers at SAC's has not been clearly stated in the instructions for selection published by the National Ministry of Education. Hence different selection ways are used (Gökdere & Küçük, 2003). Gifted science teachers working in SAC's are mostly graduates from faculty of education with teaching experience between two and ten years. This range in years of teaching experience represents a relatively early to middle stage in the teaching profession. There is some research that indicates that new teachers beginning in the teaching profession are faced with some important problems, for example, lack of experience in learning and teaching area. However, they are more successful, creative, show more initiative and are keen on research (Renzulli, 1985). This is why new teachers beginning in the teaching profession still feel themselves as students and have greater desire to learn than experienced teachers. It is noted that teaching in a SAC and following up an interest such as research on a topic with a class is difficult as teachers do not teach a specific year group of students but a whole range of students between 4 and 10th class.

The teachers in the study had quite different ideas about the best learning styles, although they agreed that group work and experimentation are good methods and, they all stressed that learning could be effective through active practical activities connected to real life. Project-based learning should be included as an activity for gifted teachers and its incorporation should be one of the aims of SAC's. Most of the respondents identified their roles in gifted education as guide, demonstrator and researcher. In the process of educating gifted students, gifted teachers need to be aware of their roles as models, evaluators, and values educators (Sisk, 1987; Gökdere & Çepni, 2003). Science teachers are able to implement more than one teaching method. However, they had a preference for: experiment-observation, presentation, question-discussion and induction-deduction methods, although this varied in accordance with their teaching experience (Azar & Çepni, 1999).

Teachers did not seem familiar with learning theories, and accordingly were unable to apply them to the classroom. A previous study in Turkey on science teachers who work at the primary schools found that they didn't have sufficient knowledge about learning theories and consequently could not apply them to classroom practices in teaching (Çepni, Şan, Gökdere & Küçük, 2001). Knowledge alone of theories does not mean that they will necessarily be applied. Knowing how to use theory and its importance and contribution to the intellectual development of gifted students is critical. For example the development of understanding of learning by theorists such as Ausebel, Gagne, Bruner, Piaget and Kelly should be taught to gifted science teachers and they should be encouraged and supported to use it in their classroom practice (Colette & Chiappetta, 1989). We think that a gifted science teacher should have a wide interest and knowledge area. Thus, they shall be ready to work with the gifted students about whatever problem he/she wants to conduct research. In addition, gifted science teachers need to accept the idea of individual learning for the gifted students. It is a fact that students are able to learn whatever and how much they need. This means for gifted education that gifted science teacher is responsible to determine a gifted student's interest area and support him/her to carry out further work on it.

Gifted teachers had individual preferences for the use of different kinds of teaching methods in their science courses. The methods they used appear to be based on their personal teaching experience, rather than any sort of objective criteria. It is particularly important that the method used in measurement and evaluation techniques is based on determined criteria, as they are an important factor in the development of effective assessment practices and the same applies to learning processes (Angelo & Cross, 1993). In aspects such as the preparation of questions for use with gifted students, gifted science teachers need to be able to use tools such as thinking keys, questions matrixes and Bloom's taxonomy (Painter, 1996).

Gifted science teachers have mostly used their university course books, course notes and TUBITAK's (Scientific Academy of Turkey) sources as resources for teaching. It is important to note that some of the respondents were keen to do educational research, in areas such as chemistry education but they could not access and read any academic works in their areas. Science teachers working in SAC's similar to teachers working in regular schools cannot use the Internet and educational technology effectively as teaching tools. This is because in Turkey new technology in regular schools and SAC's is not yet fully available or used. In addition there are too many other initiatives being introduced into all schools to make the use of Instructional Technology (IT), widespread. As part of IT learning gifted teachers need a course that covers how to access periodical publication and Internet sites about gifted student's education in other countries. Gifted science teachers also need support with foreign language so that they are able to follow the development of their subject areas through IT and the literature.

Teachers would like academic support from teacher educators about subject areas which they are not familiar with through in-service courses. Such courses need to include laboratory approaches and increased laboratory skills, guidance and research, and ways of planning and conducting research projects. The last item is important as the lack of implementation of research projects is a widespread problem among Turkish teachers (Küçük, 2002; Gökdere & Küçük, 2003). There is some urgency in this matter, as one of the aims of the SAC's is to prepare gifted students for careers as scientists. If gifted science teachers are weak at research design, they will not be able to develop the research skills of gifted students and enable them to work towards eventual contribution to the development of scientific research in Turkey.

Some shortcomings about gifted science teachers' teaching emerged from the data. The performance of gifted science teachers in the classroom needs regular and reliable assessment so that they are able to improve themselves. In addition, cooperation between the National Ministry of Education and universities is quite important, because, for example, in the selection process of gifted teachers, the type of degree held by applicants should be considered. Teacher education does not address giftedness and gifted student's education sufficiently. Concepts of giftedness and the aims of capacity development programs should be covered in detail and gifted teachers should be aware of differences in their roles as teachers, in comparison to regular school teachers (Sisk, 1987). Employment of gifted teachers should focus on those who are in the early stages of teaching, and who have reached high attainment in their degrees, as they are more likely to be able to address gifted student's cognitive development. Teachers' numbers should be increased at SAC's and teachers should be directed towards the development of grouping of students based on age. In addition, gifted science teachers should be encouraged to continue their professional development through programmes such as those available at postgraduate level and they should be supported in such endeavors. We believe that some quality standards should be constructed for gifted teachers' selection process and performance evaluation in the profession.

In this study, there has been an examination of Turkey's gifted science teachers' problems by way of the study of a small number of teachers who are employed in SAC's and some suggestions have been made that might help alleviate the situation. More studies need to be done at other SAC's and in particular with other subject area teachers. Some criteria such as age, academic achievement level, type of graduate program, teaching experience, and appropriate training can be used in the process of gifted science teachers' selection. We want to stress that the most important one of those criteria is a gifted teacher's views about learning and teaching. Finally an appropriate selection process should be developed for selecting gifted teaching staff and different criteria should be used according to the subject to be taught (Feldhusen, 1997).

 

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