Twice-exceptionality in primary schools: Teachers' perceived barriers to identifying and supporting 2e students

Twice-exceptional (2e) students are both gifted and have learning disabilities, and often remain invisible in mainstream classrooms, leaving their talents untapped and their difficulties unmet. This study investigated Saudi primary-school teachers' perceptions of the barriers to identifying and supporting 2e students. A qualitative, cross-sectional design was employed. Open-ended survey questions elicited narrative responses from 200 teachers (M experience = 12 years) across 20 public schools. Inductive content analysis was conducted by two independent coders who achieved 0.83 Cohen's κ after resolving discrepancies; the instrument had been piloted with eight teachers to refine wording and scope. The findings include two overarching themes. Identification barriers centred on shortages of dual-trained staff, overcrowded classrooms, and insufficient professional development. Support barriers concerned limited collaboration time with specialists, chronic resource constraints, ambiguous policy responsibility, and the need for ongoing, evidence-based training. The findings highlight an urgent need for the ministry to (a) give teachers training that covers both gifted and special-education skills and (b) provide dedicated funds that connect enrichment activities with extra learning support. Putting these measures in place would turn teachers' guesswork into clear identification steps and personalised teaching for twice-exceptional students. The study calls for ministry-led training that equips all teachers with both gifted- and special-education skills, smaller classes and scheduled collaboration time, guaranteed funds for assistive tools and enrichment materials, and follow-up research that tracks how these steps improve twice-exceptional students' progress.