Career Decision Making Among Gifted Students: The Mediation of Teachers

Abstract

There is international concern about falling enrollments in higher education, particularly the sciences, by gifted students. In this mixed methods study, the top-performing 200 students (approximately 2%) within a particular education jurisdiction at the beginning of their first year at university were surveyed, and 20 interviewed about their school experiences using a biographical interpretive design. This study focused on identifying those characteristics of teachers that supported students’ interests. Participants identified seven characteristics of teachers that students identified as supportive of their potential career pathways. These included connecting pedagogical practices with student interests, being passionate about their subject matter, having good content knowledge, making learning experiences relevant, setting high expectations of students, being a good explainer of complex ideas, and being a good classroom manager. This study extends our knowledge of how teachers influence gifted students and has implications for both preservice and in-service teacher education and career counseling.