ABSTRACT
Gifted and talented learners sit in class rooms bored and frustrated, they are left out and are not really benefiting from an equal educational opportunity as their peers, and their full potential is not considered. Effective management of learners who are gifted and talented has continued to be an issue because the gifted are not catered for individually. This research project is on challenges faced by gifted and talented learners in academic performance in schools. It has been organized in five chapters. The first chapter provides the background of the study, purpose of the study, objectives, and significance of the study. Chapter two contains a review of literature on the challenges of gifted and talented learners and ways to inform the public and students the importance of nurturing their talents and converting them to opportunities which can be developed into careers. Chapter three is on the methodology and the study design that the researcher used to reach out to the society and the community. This helped to discover what the community is doing in nurturing and developing the talents of the young learners who have different talents amongst themselves and the challenges that they face in relation to academic performance. Chapter four discusses the data analysis and interpretation. The data collected looked into their study habits, the academic challenges they face and how their talents are being nurtured. Chapter five provides ways of improving the skills and talents of students all over the county. This constitutes a perfect step in helping the young gifted and talented learners in the society.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
This chapter shall discuss the background of the study, statement of the problem,
purpose of the study, objectives, research questions and significance of the study.
1.1 Background to the Problem.
The study was intended to examine the challenges faced by gifted and talented learners in academic performance in secondary schools in Laikipia Central District, Laikipia County. The researcher wanted to know how gifted students are nurtured by both the school and the community and how it relates to their performance in schools.
According to the Salamanca Declaration (1994) on special needs education, every child has a fundamental right to education. Talented and gifted children must be given an opportunity to achieve and maintain an acceptable level of learning. Gifted and talented children are the most misunderstood and educationally neglected in secondary schools in Laikipia Central District, Laikipia County. They suffer so much from lack of interest in them as persons and from exploitation under great pressure to perform for the benefit of society. Gifted and talented children need specialized and unique education that is different from other exceptional children in specific areas, but rather a uniquely enriched education with unique teaching and learning strategies.
All children have a right to develop their own potential; education of the child has become a priority worldwide which every member state should accomplish. American Public Law, Chapters 91 –250 defines gifted and talented children as those identified by professionally qualified persons, who by virtue of outstanding abilities are capable of high performance and require differentiated educational programmes and/ or services beyond those normally provided by the regular school programmes in order to realize their contribution to self and society. Children capable of high performance include those with demonstrated achievement and/or potential ability in any of the following areas;
- General intellectual ability
- Specific ability
- Creative or productive thinking
- Leadership ability
- Visual and performing arts
- Psychomotor ability
Lewis Terma and Leta Hollingsworth (1925) found out that modern intelligence tests have roots in America, were identified primarily on basis of performance in and out of the school. 1980 American psychologist, James Catell called for the development of a test that would measure the mental ability of gifted children which earned him the title of “Father of the Gifted Movement”. According to National Association for Gifted Children (1998), students who have both gifted and learning difficulties require an intervention programme that nurtures the gifts and talents which accommodates learning weaknesses. Talented learners require a supportive environment that values and appreciate individual abilities. A learner who is gifted and talented usually does much better than learners of the same age group and hence requires services or activities not ordinarily provided for the ordinary learner. The gifted and talented learners may be good in one or more areas that give promise of the future high level achievement (Mwaura and Wanyera (2002))
1.2 Statement of the Problem.
Effective management of learners who are gifted and talented has continued to be an issue because the gifted are not catered for individually. According to Eric (2004), gifted and talented learners sit in class rooms bored and frustrated, they are left out and are not really benefiting from an equal educational opportunity as their peers, and their full potential is not considered.
Gifted children by nature are highly inquisitive beings who normally should become high achievers as a result of their curiosity, experimentation, discoveries, assimilation, organization, use of information, perception of relationships and memory. Gifted children are made into under achievers as a result of specific handicaps: a dull, meager curriculum; inappropriate teaching strategies that are incompatible with their learning
styles; child in need of learning how to handle socio-economic conflict, to gain self-control, and to set realistic self-expectations.
In Laikipia Central District, and other arid and semi-arid lands learners who are gifted and talented are not effectively catered for and as a result face a lot of challenges. This include but not limited to negative attitude towards the learners, inappropriate curriculum, poor methods of teaching and inadequate teaching and learning resources (Republic of Kenya 2005).According to Clarissa (1992), Desarrollo (2007), Evans (1999), Jagero (1999), Scharff and Brady (2006), and Oloo (2003), the greatest problem faced by gifted students in arid and semi-arid areas was that their home environment was not conducive to reading. Other problems include: long distances from school, bad company at home, lack of proper accommodation and proper diet. All these factors attracted the researcher to study the challenges faced by learners who are gifted and talented and suggested some remedies to these challenges.
1.3 The Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study was to investigate the challenges faced by learners who are gifted and talented in academic performance in secondary schools in Laikipia Central District.
1.4 Objectives for the Study
The following were the objectives for the study.
- To investigate teachers attitude towards learners who are gifted and talented.
- To establish resources used by teachers to teach learners who are gifted and talented.
- To establish the teaching methods used by teachers to teach learners who are gifted and talented.
- 4. To explore the academic challenges faced by gifted and talented learners in schools.
- To investigate the contribution of Head Teachers, Deputy Head Teachers, Heads of guidance and counseling and teachers in the motivation of gifted students in secondary schools.
- To find out the kind of structures both in and outside the school to accommodate gifted and talented students.
1.5 Research Questions
- What are teachers’ attitudes towards learners who are gifted and talented?
- Which resources do teachers use to teach learners who are gifted and talented?
- What teaching methods do teachers use to teach learners who are gifted and talented?
- What are the academic challenges experienced by gifted learners in secondary schools in?
- What is the contribution of Head Teachers, Deputy Head Teachers, Heads of Guidance and Counseling and Teachers in the motivation of gifted students in secondary schools?
- What structures are there both in and outside school to accommodate gifted and talented students?
1.6 Significance of the Study.
The research findings of this project shall be a milestone towards improving the quality and value of education to talented and gifted learners in Laikipia Central District. It shall create substantial awareness to a number of people. Teachers, peers and parents in the school and home environment shall endeavor to understand the nature of the gifted and talented child. Moreover, it shall provide teachers and curriculum developers with skills and knowledge of planning individual educational programmes of instruction for gifted learners. Lastly, it shall help teachers adopt the curriculum to suit the needs of learners who are gifted and talented.
1.7 Statement of Hypothesis
This study will be guided by the following hypotheses:
- Gifted and talented learners in arid and semi-arid lands experience academic challenges.
- There is no difference in academic challenges between learners in arid and semi-arid lands and other regions.
1.8 Definition of Significant Terms
The following terms are defined as used in the study.
- Teaching resources
These are teaching aids, which include charts, graphs, maps, models and other community resources that can be available to illustrate and demonstrate what is being taught. Others include textbooks and wall charts prepared by Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).
- Teacher competence
Teacher competence refers to the qualification and experience of the teacher in the teaching profession. It also includes the ability of a teacher to be an examiner with the Kenya National Examination Council, or even being a head of department (HOD). Included is whether or not, a teacher has been involved in setting examinations either locally or nationally.
- Attitude
The way an individual thinks, feels and behaves towards somebody
- Education
It is a process that enables learners to acquire and develop desire, new knowledge, skills and attitudes.
- Gifted Learners
Gifted children are those who possess the human traits of being above average abilities, high level of task, commitments, and high level of creativity. Talented Learners Talented learners are those who excel in specific area that is in leadership, sport, performing art design, athletic and technology. Gifted and Talented Learners
These are learners who give evidence of high performance capability in area such as intellectual, creative or specific academic field and who requires service of or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop such capabilities. Inclusive Setting
This is a situation where all learners including those with special needs participate in all activities in the community. The school centers of learning and system is opened to all children.
