| Abstract [eng] |
Recognition of gifted children of preschool age (5-7 years): compatibility of assessment between teachers and parents, Anna Bielinskienė, Vilnius, Vilniaus university, 2025, 63 p. Gifted Preschool Children – a little-explored population. The aim of this study is to identify gifted children aged 5 to 7 in preschool, based on the perspectives of both teachers and parents. The research was conducted in seven preschool education institutions in Vilnius. A total of 91 children participated in the study, of whom 38 were selected for further analysis based on scoring above the 90th percentile on the Colored Progressive Matrices (CPM) test. Teachers and parents of all children completed a questionnaire developed by the researcher, based on characteristics commonly attributed to gifted preschool children in literature. Data analysis was performed using Wilcoxon, Spearman correlation, and Stepwise regression statistical methods. The results showed that children aged 5 to 7 with high and very high intellectual abilities constituted 42.4% of the sample (40.8% boys and 44.2% girls). Of these, more than half (52.6%) were children with very high intellectual abilities. Parents often consider their children to be gifted; however, their evaluations frequently do not align with objective IQ test results. Parents’ assessments may be more useful when evaluating specific cognitive traits associated with intellectual abilities rather than the general concept of "giftedness." Teachers’ evaluations demonstrated greater accuracy and a stronger correlation with IQ test results. The identification of gifted preschool children was not significantly associated with the child's gender. Predictive models created by teachers had greater predictive power than those created by parents. To ensure early and accurate identification of gifted children, it is essential to combine teachers’ assessments with objective testing data. Parents' opinions may be considered a supplementary, but not primary, source of information. |
