| Abstrakt: | For many years a steady growth of interest in the problems of gifted and talented individuals
has been observed. Social demand for the use of the potentials o f these people is, firstly, a
consequence of changes and technological progress, globalization processes (Perssona, 2012),
urbanization and modernization, which increasingly emphasize the role of gifted people in shaping
the post-modern societies (Dyrda, 2012). Secondly, a gifted student is a very colorful character and
very valuable personality from the educational and psychological viewpoint, which I also tried to
show in the conducted analysis. Thirdly, in many of today's job advertisements, employers among
the candidates for the job are looking for gifted individuals, those outstanding from the crowd. In
other words, nonconformists with a positive tinge, largely motivated by internal factors. We can
therefore say that the market has been intensified by increased international economic competition
which has led to a kind of war for gifted and talented individuals. Companies see their future
competitiveness as dependent of a small number of highly gifted people, drawn from a global pool
(Brown, Tannock, 2009, source: Smith, 2014, p. 209). It is worth mention that today's gifted
students are tomorrow's social, intellectual leaders of economy and culture, and their development
can not be left to a chance (Eyre 2009, p. 1048,1051).
Therefore, at present in practically all developing countries, including Poland and England,
there began to emphasize that the issue of skills and talents should belong to some of the important
areas of theory and practice of school, both because of the social, and educational functionality of
the issue. Also the recommendations for the European Parliament, drawn up by the Committee on
Culture and Education, contributed to it. They emphasize that no country can afford to waste talent,
to lose the human wealth, no country is so rich to waste talents of its citizens (Cieslikowska 2005 p.
36)
Presented dissertation, focused on the diagnosis and evaluation of system solutions in the field
of gifted education in Poland and England, is part of the research area o f the science of comparative
education with an interdisciplinary approach. In the conducted analyzes, I have tried to reference to
the existing research results of pedagogical, psychological, sociological, as well as historical,
concerning the learning process and supporting gifted students on an international scale. At the
same time, I tried to present the empirical achievements, focused largely on issues of education,
support and operation of gifted students, starting of the family environment, peers and school. The
research processes carried out in this dissertation, as well as their stages, were focused on obtaining
data useful for representatives o f pedagogical sciences.
The dissertation consists of four main parts:
In the first part o f the paper, I analyzed the issues focused on historical and definitional findings
related to key issues concepts such as ability, aptitude, talent, genius, concepts of abilities. I made
also the characteristics of a student gifted from the point of view of humanities and social sciences.
This chapter also focuses on the issue of labeling gifted students, nonconformity, and risky
behaviors as a creative attitude. The first chapter also presents the phenomenon of educational
failure, leading paradoxically to reaching success in life, on examples of commonly known people.
The second part presents a description of the basic mechanisms of functioning of education
systems in England and Poland. It also presents an overview of existing solutions related to the
education of gifted students and a comparison of both systems.
The third part is a presentation of methodological aspects of own researches. This chapter
justifies adopted research procedure and describes the research paradigm, goals, subject of the
research, and research problems.
The fourth part contains of the results of author's researches conducted among Polish and
English teachers and students from England and Poland. This chapter includes an analysis and
interpretation of the empirical material accumulated in the course of research, as well as the
conclusions of the diagnosis and evaluation. The last part contains the summarizing conclusions and
recommending proposals for pedagogical practice.
Reliable analysis of obtained empirical data leads to the conclusion that the two educational
systems give interesting partial solutions that can be used for gifted education. Exchange of
experience and thought out application of solutions operating in both countries, will contribute to
the development and proper functioning of the entire system. |