Exploring the role of strategies-based language instruction in teaching English to young gifted learners

In spite of the fact that education of gifted children is a relatively new concern in Turkey when compared to other countries, it has created a great interest in what makes gifted children different from other learners and how they gain from the education programs provided for them. Though neglected and left to develop on their own (Enç, 2005), gifted individuals do need the understanding of their different characteristics and thirst for an alternative education. Their learning quickly, being self taught, and having a good memory they can access easily (CCEA, 2006) are invaluable opportunities to help gifted learners gain from strategy training which has a great deal to make learning more organized, systematic and effective. Thus, the main purpose of this study is to explore the role of strategies-based language instruction in teaching English to young gifted learners. The study is an action research implemented with 10 gifted students whose ages ranged from 11 to 13. The study explored gifted children?s attitudes towards English, the language learning strategies that they already use and their English proficiency levels. Following this, the participants were provided a strategies-based language instruction for seven months. During the process, their perceptions of the effectiveness of the strategy training were elicited regularly through various data collection tools. Questionnaires, think-aloud protocols, group discussions, interviews, researcher?s field notes, and written accounts of the students provided insights about the language learning processes of gifted minds and showed that the students gained a lot from the strategies-based language instruction and found such instruction very helpful and effective. Besides, the participants indicated to transfer their knowledge of strategies to other learning contexts in their lives. It is hoped that this study will shed light on the issue of teaching English to young gifted students in Turkey and contribute to form a base for an English curriculum specifically designed for gifted learners.Keywords: Gifted learners, Language Learning Strategies, Gifted, Teaching English