Which career cycle might facilitate students’ development following teachers’ gifted education training?

Introduction The educational philosophy advocating that “students from all economic and cultural backgrounds should reach their full potential” has not extended to the most capable student cohort, leaving gifted students underserved. Over the past decade, academic attention has turned to the teachers serving these students, as growing evidence indicates that a widespread lack of professional development support for gifted education. This means that even when teachers lack essential knowledge and experience regarding the characteristics and needs of gifted learners, they still bear significant responsibilities. Methods This study, grounded in the five-stage theory of teaching careers, examines how teacher training related to gifted education impacts student learning outcomes. Results Through propensity score matching and heterogeneity treatment effects, it reveals that the effectiveness of gifted education training follows an M-shaped curve as teacher experience accumulates. Discussion This empirically supports the heterogeneous treatment effect (HTE) of teacher training, laying the foundation for personalized professional programs for gifted educators.