Teachers’ perceptions of the educational opportunities and challenges for gifted girls in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)

As the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) strives to match global standards in education, it has recognised the contribution of gifted education to the future prosperity of the nation, and has sought to promote quality practices in gifted education. The Ministry of Education and King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) have worked to meet this goal through specific strategic initiatives, such as the establishment of selective schools for gifted students, known as Mawhiba schools and programs. However, little is known about the experiences of the teachers of gifted girl students in mainstream secondary schools in the KSA. This research initiative seeks to investigate these teachers’ perceptions of the educational opportunities and challenges for gifted girls in the KSA and how they are being supported to meet this strategic goal. The research is a comparative case study using a qualitative mixed methods approach in the form of survey and interview instruments. The research unpacks the current strategies used by female teachers to promote effective gifted education programs across both mainstream schools and in special gifted secondary schools settings. The research revealed an ongoing debate amongst the teachers about how they can identify gifted students, design creative curricula and the associated pedagogies, and be supported through professional development avenues. While mainstream schooling is often presented as an opportunity to develop the talents of gifted children, the comparative study revealed that female teachers in mainstream schools have very little guidance when seeking to improve their teaching practices by collaborating and sharing their strategies for gifted students accommodated within mainstream subjects. The findings recommend a broadening of the knowledge exchange between special education settings and mainstream schooling and that building teacher communities of practice, both informal and formal, may offer effective strategies to support the mainstream teachers of gifted girls across the educational establishments in the KSA.