Postscript

In conclusion, the undeniable role that future teachers play in gifted education in Saudi Arabia has generated the need to examine the factors that might influence their success or failure as gifted teachers. This study has identified the attitudes of future teachers towards gifted students and their education in Saudi Arabia. It has also provided an overview of the possible effects of teacher’s university course about giftedness. The findings reveal that future teachers, without relevant deep knowledge and experience, will rely on their personal experience as a student and the accepted practice in their culture about giftedness. The outcomes of the study support the generalisability of the Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen, 1988, 2012) and the

Theory of Personal Knowledge (Polanyi, 1966) in predicting the relationships between beliefs and attitudes. The study examined the impact of the course on attitudes toward the gifted based on these theories. The hypotheses, as suggested by both theories, were well supported.

Giftedness and learning how to teach the gifted, especially within the regular classroom, is a challenge to most teachers. However, the task is made less intimidating when the teachers are deeply knowledgeable about giftedness and teaching strategies that benefit both the student and the teacher. For example, it appeared that the current course does not seem to engage the participants in deep understanding about practical strategies. Given the significance of experience in contributing to beliefs (Polanyi, 1966), it would appear that the participants need practical, authentic experiences. For instance sessions would appear to be needed to help them differentiate instruction. The study also informs teacher education in general in that the style of delivery doesn’t really impact attitudes. The influence of cultural knowledge and experience overwhelms what happens in a university course. We could have anticipated this from other literature (e.g., science education). So a lot has to be done to engage students deeply in learning and to challenge existing beliefs. The current study has provided valuable insights into the modification of pre- existing attitudes towards gifted learning and teaching. In addition, it has outlined the essential steps needed to analyse the effectiveness and relevant issues of the course about giftedness. For Saudi Arabia to transition into a knowledge society, the Ministry of Higher Education could use the current findings to enhance future overall educational outcomes. This study has set the foundation for such future research to explore the improvements and developments of gifted education in Saudi Arabia.

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