Greek Talented Students’ Motivation: A Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

This article presents one of the few recent attempts to investigate aspects of motivation of Greek gifted students. This effort is particularly challenging since gifted education in Greece is a nonexistent concept, and any study of Greek gifted students has to overcome obstacles related to definition, location and identification of gifted students. The present study investigated the motivation of 10 Greek talented students who had won national and international competitions in different fields of talent. The method of investigation was qualitative through interviews. Their narrations demonstrated that their occupation with what would later become their talents, started either by chance, or by a member of the family who distinguished some ability and operated as their mentor. In the process all participants described mastery goal orientation motivating their actions, until they started participating in competitions, where performance orientation operated additionally to their existing mastery orientation. In general, their behavior was directed by approach motivation, while avoidance motivation did not seem to be present at all.

Keywords:

• Gifted motivation
• Greek education
• qualitative analysis

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dimitrios Zbainos

Dimitris Zbainos was born in Edessa Greece. He graduated the Pedagogic department of University of Thrace and continued his studies at a postgraduate level at the Institute of education, University of London, (Diploma in Education, M.A. in psychology of education) where he was awarded a Ph.D. He is currently a lecturer at the Harokopio University, Athens. He has taught in primary schools, in the Department of Psychology at University of Crete, and in postgraduate courses in the School of Philosophy at University of Athens. His research interests include themes in psychology of education, assessment and curricula. In particular he is interested in assessment and teaching for the development of cognitive abilities, motivation and curricula for the gifted.

Anastasia Kyritsi

Anastasia Kyritsi has studied home economics & ecology at Harokopio University, Athens. She did M.A. of educational psychology at Harokopio University where she is currently studying for a Ph.D. in psychology. She has worked as a teacher of home economics in public middle schools and as a career counselor in the fields of counselling and vocational guidance. She is a member Hellenic Society of Counselling and Guidance, and has a special interest in gifted education.