Acknowledgement of "High Ability" in Norwegian higher education : a qualitative case study of one teacher education program, and one special pedagogy program

Abstract

Children that have potential for exceptionalities or that have displayed such exceptionalities receive quite a lot focus internationally. These children are in this research referred to as highly able children. Issues of equity and equality of education are seen as important arguments in the international focus of highly able children. These issues are also prevalent in the Norwegian educational system. The aim of this research has been to explore to what extent highly able children and their needs are focused on through higher education programs in Norway and in such to investigate the place highly able children are given within important educational ideas that are seen to promote equity and equality of education in the Norwegian context.

The research has been approached qualitatively and a case study design where three participants are seen as separate cases is used. Purposeful sampling led to the choice of the three participants, where two are connected a teacher education program and one is connected to a special pedagogy program. Two participants were chosen from the teacher education program, since one of them represents a specialization course linked to the field of special pedagogy. The methods of data collection have been interviews and document analysis. The collected data was analyzed by using coding, which subsequently led to five categories. These categories have been used in the structuring of the data, and have ultimately served as a way to approach the questions asked in the research.

The findings of the research indicate that the extent to which the needs of the highly able children are acknowledged and focused on through the educational programs is little. It was found that although there seemed to be some differences in how participants viewed how the focus and acknowledgement and should be, all of the participants revealed that the extent to which their educational program focus and acknowledge the needs of highly able children is little, if at all present. Although no conclusions can be drawn as to how other workers within higher education and education focus on and acknowledge the needs of highly able children, the findings seem indicate that the educational framework in Norway in terms of written documents leave much up to interpretation. The findings also points to that the big room for interpretations together with no found research on higher levels than master levels on the highly able in the Norwegian context since 1971, may lead to that the needs of highly able children are overshadowed. In such, there seems to be a possibility of that safeguarding of meeting the needs of highly able children is not ensured.

The questions that rise from the research are related to the history of Norwegian educational ideas, equity and possible consequences of not facing a controversial topic.