Exploring public and private preschool teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding gifted children from three to six years old in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study aimed to examine public and private preschool teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding children aged three to six who are gifted in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as the differences between teachers’ beliefs and practice. Presently, no agreement exists among researchers on the definition of gifted children, and the Saudi Ministry of Education does not provide any programmes to guide teachers on how to identify and teach gifted children. This qualitative study suggests that Saudi Arabian public and private preschool teachers believe children who are gifted have stronger cognitive abilities, among others, than their classmates. Moreover, the study suggests that strong similarities exist between public and private preschool teachers’ methods of support for gifted children.