Teachers of the Gifted: A Comparison Of Students' Perpectives in Australia, Austria and the United States

Abstract

What characteristics of teachers are most appreciated by their gifted students? The current study sought the views of gifted adolescents through the administration of a questionnaire, the Preferred Instructor Characteristics Scale (Krumboltz & Farquhar, 1957). The scale required students to select between a personal characteristic and an intellectual characteristic on each item in order to determine which group of characteristics was more highly valued. Three additional open-ended questions were included in the questionnaire to elicit students' views about the qualities that are evident in effective teachers. The questionnaire was administered to secondary students in academically selective schools in Australia (n = 387), Austria (n = 142) and the United States (n = 328). All three cohorts produced similar results with the means indicating a strong preference for personal characteristics over intellectual characteristics of teachers. Grade and gender differences were also noted. The open-ended questions revealed that the most effective teachers, according to the gifted student respondents, are those who have a blend of favourable personal and intellectual skills along with a range of teaching approaches.