Gifted Students' Perceptions of Learning English as a Foreign Language

The concept of "giftedness" and "what makes giftedness" have been debated by scholars for decades. Students who are defined as gifted or talented may demonstrate outstanding attributes in different areas. While some have superior intellectual, academic and creative abilities, others show an assortment of traits besides intelligence such as remarkable talents in visual and performing arts. This study is mainly concerned with how to cater for the needs of gifted and talented students learning English as a foreign language. It reports on a study carried out to create an effective learning environment for these children who are enrolled in a center for gifted children (BILSEM) in Adana, Turkey. The programme in the center makes special provision for academically gifted children with a differentiated curriculum. 105 students, already identified as gifted or talented, have been asked about their learning experience in the Centre, learning English in particular, and what types of activities are meaningful to them. They have completed a general attitude to learning English questionnaire and then taken part in a process of critical incident analysis. It is hoped that the findings of the research would lend support to identification and programming practices for gifted children. (Contains 15 tables.)