Investigating the status of highly able students through the lens of the Lebanese national policy and the mathematics and science centralized curricula and textbooks

Maya Antoun 1 * , Rayya Younes 2, Sara Salloum 3
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1 Department of Education, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Balamand, Koura, LEBANON
2 Department of Social and Educational Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut, LEBANON
3 Department of Teacher Education, Patton College of Education, Ohio University, Athens OH, USA
* Corresponding Author
EUR J SCI MATH ED, Volume 11, Issue 2, pp. 215-233. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/12569
Published Online: 24 October 2022, Published: 01 April 2023
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ABSTRACT

Very few Lebanese students have been able to perform at the highest level in mathematics and science in TIMSS, leading to the belief that current curricula and/or pedagogies are not supporting our highly able students to realize their potentials. In this research, we investigate how the national Policy documents and the mathematics and science centralized curricula, and textbooks address the needs of highly able students. Teachers’ perceptions and role in providing for the educational needs of highly able is also examined. Through qualitative methods, the following data sources were used to address the research aim: policy document analysis, curriculum analysis, and teacher interviews. Findings indicated no specific policy for highly able students in Lebanon and little evidence of curricular provisions and attention to the needs of highly able learners in the mathematics and science national curricula and textbooks. The resultant data also provided important insights into the limited knowledge of teachers in the area of supporting highly able learners. The findings of the current study will inform the efforts of the policy makers and the Ministry of Education faced with the challenge of effectively educating their most able students.
Keywords: TIMSS, teacher perceptions, gifted provision, highly able students, curriculum, policy

CITATION

Antoun, M., Younes, R., & Salloum, S. (2023). Investigating the status of highly able students through the lens of the Lebanese national policy and the mathematics and science centralized curricula and textbooks. European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 11(2), 215-233. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/12569

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