Gifted education in China: an analysis from an educational and learning resource perspective

In recent years, as the nation has prioritized the cultivation of top-tier innovative talents, gifted education has gained increasing prominence in China’s educational system. Existing research has focused mainly on student selection, curriculum reform, or case-based practices, with limited use of systematic frameworks to examine its overall ecology and resource structure. This study applies Ziegler’s Actiotope Model of Giftedness and analyzes gifted education in China through ten types of educational and learning capitals. Using secondary analysis of policy documents, statistical data, and authoritative studies from 2010 to 2025, it reviews the resource structure and developmental challenges of gifted education. Findings show that financial input has risen but dedicated funding is lacking, social support networks are emerging yet limited, cultural values are diversifying but unstable, infrastructural digitalization is progressing yet urban-rural disparities persist, and teaching reforms are advancing though professionalization remains weak. In terms of learning capitals, students demonstrate strong actional performance, while organismic support is uneven, goal setting is influenced by utilitarian orientations, episodic transfer and interdisciplinary application remain underdeveloped, and attentional resources risk depletion under heavy workloads. Overall, gifted education has advanced under national policies and local practices but faces persistent challenges of uneven resource allocation, insufficient institutional support, and inadequate early identification. To address these issues, the paper proposes optimization strategies at four levels: orientation, identification, basic principles, and resource management, providing theoretical foundations and policy guidance for the improvement and sustainable development of gifted education in China.