Current Policies and Policy Efforts for the Education of Gifted Children in Turkey

Abstract

This study examines the existing policies and policy efforts in the field of gifted education in Turkey. A content analysis of the state policy documents and semistructured interviews with two policy actors were conducted to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the policies regarding the education of gifted children. The findings revealed deficiency and confusion in documented evidence and serious inconsistencies among various state documents and practices on issues pertaining to gifted education. Although there is a growing interest in serving the needs of gifted children, the organization and implementation of gifted programs and state support are still limited. In addition, general strategies recommended in policy efforts seem to fail because specific steps of implementation are absent.

Keywords:

• document analysis
• gifted education
• policy actors
• policy documents
• policy efforts
• state policy
• strategy plan
• Turkey

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sakhavat Mammadov

Sakhavat Mammadov is a PhD candidate in the Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership program with an emphasis in gifted education at The College of William & Mary. Currently, he is working as a graduate research assistant at the Center for Gifted Education. He earned a BS degree in teaching mathematics and an MA degree in elementary education from Boğazici University, Turkey. He has worked with gifted children for many years in a variety of contexts. His research interests focus on the social–emotional lives of gifted children, personality, creativity, mentoring mathematically gifted students, and administrative and policy issues in gifted education. E-mail: [email protected]