| Abstract [eng] |
Modern education takes place in a rapidly changing social, cultural and technological environment, in which increasing attention is paid to each student’s progress, responsiveness to individual needs, and the ability to create and apply knowledge. Therefore, educational innovations become an important prerequisite for developing a more flexible education system that meets the needs of contemporary society. In this context, the relevance of gifted education becomes particularly evident, as teachers in heterogeneous classrooms are required to ensure the education of students with different abilities, while gifted students often remain insufficiently recognised or are not provided with challenges corresponding to their potential. Although educational innovations and the prerequisites for their implementation are widely analysed in scientific literature, the implementation of specific gifted education programmes as educational innovations, as well as the conditions determining their integration into school practice, are examined only fragmentarily. Taking this into account, the scientific problem is formulated as follows: what prerequisites for the implementation of an educational innovation create conditions for the implementation of a gifted education programme in primary school? The object of the research is the prerequisites for the implementation of an educational innovation, and the aim of the project is to identify these prerequisites by analysing the implementation of a gifted education programme in primary school. To achieve this aim, the following objectives are set: to analyse the concept of educational innovation and the prerequisites for its implementation in an educational organization; to discuss strategic and legal documents as well as the main trends in gifted education; and to empirically investigate the implementation of an educational innovation in primary school through a gifted education programme. The research employed the analysis of scientific literature, strategic and legal documents, and school documents, as well as qualitative research based on the logic of a case study; empirical data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using deductive thematic analysis. The research results revealed that the implementation of an educational innovation in the context of a gifted education programme depends on interrelated individual, social and organizational prerequisites. It was found that the Mokslių vaikų programme in primary school functions as a complex educational innovation that combines the development of students’ potential with teachers’ professional growth. The implementation of the programme is strengthened by teachers’ professional competences, positive attitudes towards innovations, readiness to learn and reflect, collegial collaboration, knowledge sharing, partnerships, supportive leadership and opportunities for professional development. At the same time, it was revealed that the sustainability of the innovation requires clearer strategic integration of the programme, distribution of roles and responsibilities, structured dissemination of experience, planning of time and resources, and broader involvement of the school community. The results of the project may be used by schools in developing and improving gifted education programmes, by school leaders in planning the implementation of educational innovations, by teachers and educational support specialists in organizing differentiated, enriched and student-potential-oriented education, as well as by education policy makers in preparing methodological guidelines and support measures for schools. The final project consists of an introduction, three main chapters, conclusions and recommendations. The first chapter analyses the concept of educational innovation, its role and the prerequisites for its implementation in an educational organization. The second chapter analyses strategic and legal documents regulating educational innovations, examines the concept of gifted education and presents the main examples of good practice. The third chapter presents the research methodology, describes the organization of the research and analyses the empirical research results, revealing the prerequisites for implementing an educational innovation through a gifted education programme in primary school. The final part of the work presents conclusions and recommendations, as well as lists of literature and information sources and appendices. |
