TEACHERS’ UNDERSTANDING IN IDENTIFYING TWICEEXCEPTIONALITY – AN ISSUE ANALYSIS

Abstract

Gifted students with coexisting disabilities, also known as twice-exceptional (2e), are increasingly recognized in the schools now-a-days, especially at primary and upper primarylevels. This increasing awareness needs to be met with equal enthusiasm for empirical investigation into the understanding on the identification and dealing the needs of this group of students. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive summary through a critical analysis of the upper primary school teachers’ understanding in identifying twiceexceptionalityamong their students. A phenomenological approach served as a method of the present investigation with an instrument semi structured interview employed over nine participants handling upper primary classes inMalappuram district,Kerala. The critical analysis on the responses led the researchers to infer themes that indicate the understanding of upper primary teachers from Mankkada educational district of Malappuram district and evolved a model of understanding on the twice-exceptionality. Scholars can extrapolate from this summary a research agenda that will move the field forward in the pursuit of empirically validated identification and intervention techniques with twice-exceptional learners. Educators as well encouraged using this information when developing gifted identification protocols in schools, accommodation plans for twice-exceptional students, and interventions that target specific strength and growth areas. Finally, parents of twice-exceptional learners also can refer the summarized empirical studies like this as they search for research-based approaches which helping their child.