20 Gifted Children in Primary Schools: Children's Perspectives as Participants Across Social Arenas, Activities, and Teaching

My PhD project is about gifted children in primary schools. Previous studies have shown that many gifted children in Danish schools do not develop well. It is often taken for granted by teachers that these children have a lot of resources and that they should be doing well. Various research projects shows that this is not always the case (Baltzer, Kyed, Nissen, & Voigt, 2006; Skogen, 2010, Nissen, 2010; Kyed, 2015). Some children may develop unfortunate habits, and they often don´t make full use of their full potential. Some end up falling completely out of the school and education system. In Denmark, we lack knowledge about how teachers can plan and conduct education that also accommodates gifted students with high potential; in teaching, activities and everyday life in school I am interested in what the children themselves perceive are important for their well-being, learning and participation. I also focus on what educational and didactic considerations as well as possible challenges teachers can experience in their teaching. My ambition is to create knowledge for teachers in support and challenging these children while at the same time the individual child experience themselves included in the class community. From the children's perspectives, I want to create knowledge about how they experience school day and classroom education. What matters to their learning and well-being and their experience of inclusion in class communities? What social interaction do they participate in and what are they oriented to? From a teacher perspective, I want to create knowledge about how teachers understand and experience the gifted children and how they can create participation opportunities and support their learning and educational needs.

The research is conducted in 4 different school classes. The classes are followed through an entire school year with interviews and participatory observations across classes and activities. In the observations there will be an exploration of children´s orientations through analyses of their participation in different activities. How do they take part in social activities and how do the co-participants orient to them? It is a purpose of this project to develop knowledge that is perceived to be relevant to the teachers. At each school, research is organized as a collaboration where teachers are invited to become co-researchers in a research community. The purpose is to develop new understandings and perspectives on the student group's needs and challenges.

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