Teachers' beliefs about and educational practices with high-ability students

This study aims to give insight into teachers’ beliefs of high-ability students and how this relates to their classroom teaching. Thirteen teachers from six different elementary or secondary schools participated in in-depth interviews. The participants talked about cognitive functioning, social skills, classroom behaviour, motivation and specific characteristics of high-ability students. In addition, regarding educational practices with high-ability students, teachers agreed that providing challenging learning tasks is deeply important. Finally, we found that teachers with a limited frame of reference on high-ability students are likely to have a less extended repertoire of educational practices.