Identifying gifted EFL learners among Serbian students majoring in pre-school teaching

Abstract

This study explored the identification and understanding of giftedness in foreign language learning, with a particular focus on the critical role of teachers in educational practice. Addressing the gap in aligning teachers' and peers' assessments of giftedness, the research aimed to examine the correlation between university students' evaluations of their peers' giftedness and their professor's assessments in this domain. The study involved 120 first-year university students, aged between 19.5 and 20.5 years, from the Faculty of Education in Jagodina, Serbia. Data on giftedness in learning English, focusing on learning, creativity, and motivation, were gathered using an adapted scale for rating behavioral characteristics of gifted learners. The findings revealed no statistically significant correlation between the students and the teacher's assessments of giftedness in learning or creativity. However, a statistically significant correlation emerged in the domain of motivation for learning English. These results highlight the complexity of evaluating giftedness and underscore the need for further research on the interplay between different dimensions of giftedness and assessments in educational settings. Among other recommendations, the study suggests expanding future research to explore additional domains of giftedness at the university level.

Keywords: Creativity; foreign language learning; giftedness; motivation.