Opinions of school components regarding individualized education program for gifted students: Zonguldak Ereğli example

The purpose of this research is to examine the observations, experiences and difficulties faced by the school components in the development and implementation of the individualized education program prepared for gifted students; presenting their suggestions to overcome these difficulties. The case study method, one of the qualitative research types, was used in the research. The study group of the research consisted of 26 participants; nine school administrators, nine classroom teachers, and eight counselor/ counsellor who had gifted students and were responsible for the education of these students in the first level of the official primary schools where mainstreaming was implemented in the Ereğli district of Zonguldak province in the 2020-2021 academic year.Semi-structured interview form in collecting research data; descriptive analysis in the analysis of the data was preferred. As a result of the research; It was seen that the majority of the participants had sufficient knowledge about the distinctive cognitive, behavioral, social and emotional characteristics of gifted students and their needs that differ from other students. Most of the participants didn't have sufficient experience and knowledge in the preparation and implementation of IEPs for gifted students; It has been observed that in the IEP processes, they encountered negative situations such as having too many classrooms, insufficient course time, and many students at different levels. Support training rooms don't have the physical space, equipment and materials to meet the needs of gifted individuals; It has been determined that there are positive and negative reflections on gifted students. The participants made some suggestions to diversify the educational opportunities of gifted students within the school. Keywords: Gifted students, individualized education program, support training room.