Creativity as a characteristic of giftedness:Teachers see it, then they don't¹

In this study, teachers saw giftedness as greatly varied, but having the common characteristic of creativity. However, when observing for nomination to gifted programs, teachers focused on classroom performance to a greater degree than creativity. Thus their observations more closely matched the official definition rather than their personal conceptions. The teachers had not actively worked to align the official conception more closely with their own. This inaction was attributed to lack of experience with gifted education, avoiding harm to children, and being patient with change.