Science and Technology Education in Slovenian Compulsory Basic School: Possibilities for Gifted Education

The article presents an analytical overview of the science and technology curriculum from the viewpoint of the inclusive approach adopted toward gifted education in Slovenian basic education. The main research question concerns how the current curriculum fits the learning needs of gifted students. For the purposes of the study, 16 compulsory and elective syllabi of science and technology school subjects were identified and qualitatively analyzed, and the role of activity days was examined within the target framework. The results show a rather weak operationalization of recommendations for gifted education in defined learning objectives and standards in the syllabi. Moreover, it was found that elective school subjects in science and technology are poorly represented in students’ overall selection of elective school subjects. In addition, activity days offer numerous possibilities for the implementation of the general recommendations for teaching the gifted.