Investigation of the Gifted Students’ Education Based on Its Cost

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of this research was to investigate the cost parents paid for their gifted and non-gifted children, the type of expenses they made for their children’s education and their opinions regarding the financial demands of their gifted children.Method: In this qualitative study with a phenomenological approach, the data were collected from 20 parents of gifted and non-gifted students using structured interview forms. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.Findings: The findings indicated that the parents spent the most on school supplies for both gifted and non-gifted children for in-school environment. However, for out-of school expenditures parents spent the most on books, movies, and intelligence games for their gifted children while they spent the most on field trips and movies for their non-gifted children.Discussion: Parents could not fully support the development of their children (especially gifted ones) due to their financial conditions. Also, parents reported that opportunities in regular schools were not enough to help their children realize and fulfill their own potential. It was concluded that gifted children needed environments enriched with more materials, sources, mentors, and facilities to reveal their true potential.