Attitudes towards gifted students and the social (in)equality of gifted students in slovenian schools since the begining of the 20th century

Ksenija Domiter Protner

Summary:  This article explores how gifted students have been identified, attitudes towards them and the social (in)equality of gifted students in Slovenian schools since the beginning of the 20th century. Two problems have been observed in this area from the second half of the 20th century onwards, especially in the 1980s. The first relates to gifted children with low social-economic status, who were disadvantaged in comparison to others, and the second to the roles and qualifications of teachers in identifying and working with gifted students. Since the 1990s, research into giftedness and the social status of and attitudes towards gifted students have strengthened and also gained a legal basis. Social inequality of gifted children in Slovenian schools has had a negative impact on their performance, as illustrated in the last part of the article.