Abstract:

Giftedness is a multifaceted construct that is the subject of much debate among pedagogues and researchers. To this day, there is no consensus on a single definition of giftedness, and the nature and structure of giftedness is debated. Researchers agree that giftedness is not only high intellectual ability, but also problem-solving ability and creativity. A wide range of internal (physical and personal qualities, motivation, self-control) and external (environment, educational opportunities, events) factors have a significant impact on abilities and its expression. The problem of identifying gifted children is one of the most pressing pedagogical and psychological problems. A gifted child needs to be identified, not in order to be called 'gifted', but in order to receive a better education that meets his or her needs. Gifted children are revealed when the content of the curriculum is in line with their personal interests and requires effort, and when the learning process is in line with their individual learning styles. Without being identified and nurtured, a child is unlikely to reach his potential and will face a variety of difficulties. It is therefore important to spot giftedness at an early age, as early as pre-school, and to start nurturing the gifted child as early as possible. Unfortunately, pre-school teachers often lack knowledge about identifying and developing gifted children and understanding the difficulties that gifted children have to face.

The purpose of the research is to reveal the experiences of preschool education pedagogues in identifying and educating gifted children. To achieve the goal, a qualitative study was conducted - a semi-structured interview with teachers of preschool education institutions. The sample of the qualitative study consisted of 19 pedagogues of preschool education institutions. The content of the semi-structured interview was done using the content analysis method.

The results of the study revealed that the concept of a gifted child held by preschool educators is related to the expression of certain abilities of the child. The identification of gifted children uses the recording of the child's intellectual and other abilities, as well as the opinion of parents, other pedagogues and student support specialists. A qualitative study revealed the difficulties faced by preschool educators in identifying and educating gifted children: educators do not have enough competencies to differentiate and individualize education, motivate children to act creatively and take leadership, there is a lack of tools for identifying gifted children and methodical means of educating gifted children, excessive workload of educators. Possibilities for identifying and educating gifted preschool children can be developed by pedagogues improving their qualifications and acquiring missing competencies, in cooperation with fellow pedagogues and parents.

Keywords:

Gifted child, recognition of a gifted child, education of a gifted child, experiences, preschool education institution.