Exploring the factors shaping teachers’ attitudes toward giftedness: insights from a Spanish sample

This study examined factors associated with teachers’ general attitudes toward giftedness in the Spanish context, from an inclusive education perspective, focusing on in-service versus pre-service status, teaching experience, level of training, and personal contact with gifted individuals. A total of 375 participants completed the Spanish adaptation of the Gagné and Nadeau questionnaire. Non-parametric analyses indicated that pre-service teachers reported significantly more positive attitudes than in-service teachers (U = 23,399, p < .001, r = .29). Teaching experience was positively associated with attitudes (ρ = .29, p < .001), and secondary teachers obtained higher scores than pre-primary teachers (p = .002). Participants who reported personal contact with gifted individuals also showed more favourable attitudes (p = .002). A multiple regression model was significant (F(5, 369) = 7.66, p < .001, R² = .09), with teaching experience and having a gifted person in the close environment emerging as significant predictors, while formal training showed only a weak association. These findings highlight the relevance of experiential and contextual factors in shaping teachers’ general attitudes toward giftedness, although the model explained only a modest proportion of variance. They also underscore the need to integrate practice-based and reflective components into teacher education programmes to support inclusive approaches to gifted learners as part of learner diversity.