Gifted children in theory and practice

Ovaj istraživački rad donosi stavove i razmišljanja odgojitelja i studenata o darovitosti u djece predškolske dobi. Rezultati se odnose na razlike u mišljenjima o tvrdnjama i odgovorima odgojitelja i studenata prema postavljenom cilju istraživanja. Cilj ovoga istraživanja je ispitati što odgojitelji i studenti smatraju karakteristikama darovitosti u predškolske djece, koje kompetencije kao odgojitelji trebaju posjedovati te u kojoj su mjeri odgojitelji i studenti upoznati s definicijama i bitnim odrednicama darovitosti. Tvrdnje i pitanja su postavljena kako bi se moglo usporediti mišljenje i stavovi budućih i aktivnih odgojitelja. Podaci su prikupljeni anketnim upitnikom izrađenim posebno za potrebe ovoga rada, a namijenjenog odgojiteljima koji rade u predškolskoj ustanovi i studentima ranog i predškolskog odgoja i obrazovanja. U istraživanju je ukupno sudjelovalo 100 ispitanika (50 odgojitelja zaposlenih u predškolskim ustanovama na području grada Zagreba i 50 studenata Učiteljskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu). Rezultati pokazuju da studenti poučeni samo teorijskim znanjem, stečenim na predavanjima na fakultetu, imaju različite stavove i način kako bi prihvatili i pristupili odgoju i obrazovanju darovite djece za razliku od zaposlenih odgojitelja. Odgojitelji poučeni iskustvom u radu s djecom imaju drugačiji stav i mišljenje o načinu na koji bi pristupili darovitoj djeci. Odgojitelji djecu susreću u svojim grupama u kojima su vidljive njihove individualne razlike i ponekad teško prepoznaju darovito dijete samo po teorijskom određenju. Rezultati ovoga istraživanja mogu poslužiti u daljnjim istraživanjima o usporedbama raznih teorija i prakse na temu darovitog djeteta.This research paper brings the attitudes and thoughts of preschool teachers and students about gifted preschool children. The results deliver the differences in preschool teachers and students’ responses, according to the set goal of the research. The aim of this research is to exam what students and preschool teachers consider to be characteristics of giftedness in preschool children, which personal skills are required for working with gifted children, and how well are students and preschool teachers familiar with definitions and important concepts of giftedness. Data were collected by a survey questionnaire developed specifically for the purposes of this paper and intended for preschool teachers who work in preschool institutions and students of preschool education. The study involved 100 people (50 preschool teachers employed in preschool institutions and 50 students from Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb). The results show that students taught only by theoretical knowledge, acquired in lectures held by the faculty, have differentness attitudes and ways to accept and approach the upbringing of gifted children as opposed to employed preschool teachers. Preschool teachers taught by experience in working with children have a different attitude and view on how to approach gifted children. Preschool teachers see children in a group of individual differences and sometimes find it difficult to recognize them only by theoretical definition. The results of this research can be used in further research comparing the differences between theory and reality in practical work on the topic of gifted children