Perceptions of primary and secondary school principals on the support, educational forms and methods of gifted students in Greece

Abstract Principals' perceptions of the education of gifted students play an important role, as teachers are those who mainly influence gifted students. Since there are no studies concerning principals' views on primary and secondary education in Greece, it is crucial to investigate the factors influencing these students' education. The aim of the present study was to explore principals' opinions on primary and secondary education regarding the support of gifted students, the forms and methods of their education in Greece. The study sample consisted of 210 principals (78 men and 132 women) with primary ( n = 122) and secondary ( n = 88) education, who completed the questionnaire of Gagné and Nadeau's attitude scale opinions about the gifted and their education (1991) to identify differences according to age range and years of experience in education. The results showed that principals generally had a negative attitude toward gifted education in Greece, and their only positive opinion was for the ‘social progress’ factor. The negative principals' views may be because the Greek education system does not support the education of gifted students. The creation of a legislative framework is suggested, which will allow gifted students to attend educational programs of higher classes and university courses according to their needs and capabilities and not according to their chronological age.