Gifted Education in Austria

Abstract

In Austria, gifted education and the education of highly gifted and talented children have been receiving an increasing public awareness and social acceptance over the past decade. The article highlights the existing ideas of giftedness in Austria, and it presents several initiatives having triggered and influenced this positive development. The provision of special programs for gifted education is closely linked to the general structure of the Austrian school system. This established system and its inherent opportunities for talent support will be described. The information forms the background to understand why there is still a public controversial debate on the need of specific endeavors in gifted education.

Giftedness in Inclusive Classrooms: A Cross-Cultural Examination of Pre-Service Teachers’ Thinking in Finland, Austria, Turkey, the Philippines, and Japan

“…Other countries focus on the more encompassing aspects of differentiating instruction. For example, in Austria, the classroom atmosphere is given importance when it comes to catering to gifted students in inclusive classrooms (Weyringer, 2013) through the creation of an “ begabungsfreundliche Lernkultur ” (“atmosphere for learning and development especially suited to nurturing talents and abilities”; p. 379). Best practices on how to achieve such a classroom atmosphere are shared between professionals via conferences and in publications nationwide.…”

“…Like Finland, Austria has high individualism and low power distance, which translate into a generally egalitarian system where the education of gifted children is supported via integrated instruction in traditional classrooms, a right secured by legislation (Reid & Horváthová, 2016). Attitudes, however, remain somewhat ambivalent, with both support and opposition to accommodating the gifted (Weyringer, 2013, p. 365). Although the teacher education curricula suggest differentiation targeting gifted learners in inclusive classes, many teacher education programs “hold the additional ‘focus on impairment’” in the field of inclusion (Buchner & Proyer, 2020, p. 92).…”

Exceptional talent in the 21st century context: Conceptual framework, definition, assessment, and development

“…Across cultures and countries, perspectives not discussed in these articles can be identified. Related to the differentiation paradigm, but not the same, is the perspective dominant in Austria and Finland, in which individualization to meet the needs of every child is an egalitarian approach to making the match between a student’s levels of development, needs, and the instruction provided (Tirri and Kuuisto, 2013; Weyringer, 2013). In countries influenced by Confucianism, giftedness is perceived as high achievement, working hard in school.…”

Policy approaches and initiatives for the inclusion of gifted students in OECD countries

“…Parents most often show interest in supporting their child when s/he is identified as gifted, and in knowing more about her/his special educational needs (Bicknell, 2014[195]; Koshy, Smith and Brown, 2017 [147]; Wellisch, 2020 [196]; Paul, 2018 [197]). Furthermore, parents can be pillars in gifted education when they receive relevant information and resources.…”