Talent Development in Mathematics and Sports: Teacher’s Perceptions of the Importance of Educational and Learning Capital

Abstract

Contemporary theories of giftedness increasingly adopt a developmental perspective, emphasizing the role of both internal individual factors and external environmental factors in nurturing giftedness and achieving excellence. Although many empirical studies have confirmed the importance of these factors, research examining how teachers— as central agents in the construction of learning environments—perceive these factors and their significance for developing students’ talents remains limited. Accordingly, this study adopted the Educational Capital approach (encompassing five types of external factors) and the Learning Capital approach (encompassing five types of internal factors) that facilitate the development of giftedness. The study aimed to examine teachers’ perceptions of the importance of these factors in developing students’ talents in the domains of mathematics and sports. It also it sought to examine whether teachers’ perceptions differ according to domain (mathematics vs. sport) and gender (male vs. female teachers). The study sample consisted of 632 pre-service male and female teachers at King Faisal University. The results showed that both male and female teachers perceived all types of educational capital and learning capital as important for the development of giftedness. Moreover, the results indicated that these factors were perceived as more critical for talent development in the domain of sport than mathematics, and that female teachers assigned greater importance to certain factors compared with their male.