Navigating the constraints and aspirations of gifted Palestinian refugees in Lebanon

Gifted Palestinian refugee students remain underserved despite exceptional potential across academic and artistic domains. This study explores how gifted Palestinian refugee students at the secondary level narrate their experiences, with particular attention to how they navigate challenges and envision their future aspirations. A qualitative narrative design was employed, using storytelling interviews with 11 gifted Palestinian students identified through teacher nominations and portfolio reviews. The data were analyzed through narrative analysis guided by the Contextual Narrative Interpretation Model. Findings indicate that students face multiple, intersecting challenges, including financial hardship, professional restrictions, camp instability, emotional burdens, and limited educational opportunities. Despite these constraints, participants demonstrated strong agency, self-motivation, and adaptive strategies, drawing on personal strengths, relational support, and faith. Aspirations emerged as a central organizing force, shaping how students interpret their experiences and pursue futures grounded in education, dignity, and financial stability. This study contributes to the limited literature on gifted refugee students by showing that giftedness amid displacement is not diminished but rather reconfigured through adversity. It challenges deficit-oriented narratives by centering students’ voices, strengths, and aspirations. The findings have implications for educators and researchers, suggesting more context-sensitive identification approaches that recognize diverse expressions of giftedness in constrained environments.