Abstract:

Parents have important roles in the education of gifted children. These children spend majority of their time with their parents and share their desires and expectations with them. Advantageous opportunities that parents have are important determining factors in gifted children’s development and success. These opportunities could be listed as parents’ habits, personality traits, life styles, opportunities, awareness, and beliefs and attitudes. These are also influential on the things students can achieve. Effects of parents are also determinant in how good or bad the ability development would be. It is important to identify the views of parents, who have important effects on their children’s education and development, in relation to the educational problems their children encounter. The present study is conducted with this purpose in mind. The purpose of the study is to identify views of gifted children’s parents about the problems they encounter in their children’s education. In line with this purpose, the study aims to find answers to the following questions:
1. What are the views of gifted children’s parents about their children’s success at school?
2. What are the views of gifted children’s parents about the most common problems their children encounter in education?
3. What are the expectations of gifted children’s parents about their children’s education?

Method:
This study utilised descriptive survey model. Descriptive Survey model is a study approach which aims to describe an existing situation as it is. The event, object or individual subject to study is described within its conditions and in the way it is (Karasar, 2006).

Study Group:
The study was conducted with 16 parents whose children were identified as gifted and enrolled in primary school. The parents were selected according to criterion sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods. Criterion sampling method mainly aims to examine cases that meet a set of criteria identified beforehand (Yıldırım and Şimşek, 2011).

Data Collection Tools:
The data were collected through a semi-structured interview form, one of the qualitative research methods. The semi-structured interview form was developed by the researcher in line with the related literature.

Data Analysis:
Analysis of the data was performed using content analysis method, which is one of the qualitative data analysis methods.

Results:
Regarding their children’s success at school, the parents indicated that their children did homework as they had sense of responsibility, that their classroom teachers had positive effects on their children’s success, and that their children did project and performance tasks with joy and interest.
As to the problems they encounter in education, the parents stated that they experienced a lot of problems caused by their children’s characteristics in relation to giftedness. The parents, regarding expectations about their children’s education, stated that they expected their children to be happy and successful and wished to provide them with better educational opportunities.

Keywords:

Education of the gifted, parents.