School counsellors’ perceptions of working with gifted students

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the perceptions of school counsellors who work with gifted students in the school environment. A qualitative research design was used in this study. The participants were 52 school counsellors who work in primary schools of private colleges accepting gifted students in Turkey. A semi-structured interview schedule was used as a data collection tool. Data analysis was conducted through content analysis. Results show that school counsellors need training on how to provide efficient counselling and guidance to address the personal, academic and social challenges experienced by gifted students.

Keywords: academic characteristics; giftedness; personality characteristics; qualitative research; social relations