Factors that Influence the Motivation for Teachers to Differentiate Curriculum for Gifted Students

Abstract

This study sought to determine the factors that motivate teachers to differentiate curriculum for gifted students in a case study school in Victoria, Australia. For this purpose, 10 teachers from Year 7-9 mixed ability classes at the school were engaged in interviews about their practice of differentiation specifically for gifted students and the factors that either motivated or demotivated them to differentiate. Thematic analysis was conducted on the collected data. The resulting themes provided useful insights into the challenges that teachers face to cater for gifted students and their need for more support. The key findings of the study indicated the presence of many barriers to differentiating curriculum for gifted students including misconceptions, negative attitudes, gaps in support and competing interests. By comparison, the most significant motivator to differentiate curriculum for gifted students was around delivering ‘good teaching’, otherwise known as best practice teaching in the education sector. Findings suggest that a general lack of training in gifted education was evident in this context and suggest that greater school support and professional development is needed to assist teachers to provide appropriate differentiation for gifted students.