Professional preparation of english language teachers for gifted education in India: current status, challenges and future directions within educational reform context
DOI: 10.23951/2307-6127-2026-2-77-86
This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the current state of the system of professional training of future English teachers for work with gifted children in India in the context of educational reforms. The research aimed to identify main trends, problems and prospects of this process. The study employed methods of system analysis, including system-element, system-structural and systemfunctional approaches, as well as comparative analysis and content analysis of regulatory documents and scientific publications. Based on the analysis of the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP-2020) and programs of leading educational centers, four basic models of integrating the component of work with gifted students were identified: certification, integration, project-research and network models. Special attention is paid to the “Certificate Course in Education of Gifted and Talented Students” program of the University of Delhi and the activities of the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS). The research revealed systemic challenges hindering the effective integration of this direction into India’s pedagogical education, including historical lack of national policy, socio-economic inequality, high class sizes, exam-centered curriculum and shortage of qualified staff. Content-related challenges were identified, such as the dominance of Western models of giftedness, poor development of subject-specific methods for English teachers, and the conflict between the traditional role of the teacher and the needs of gifted children. The theoretical significance of the research lies in the systematization of modern approaches to teacher training for work with gifted children in the Indian educational context. The practical value consists in developing recommendations for the Russian system of pedagogical education, including creating a flexible multi-level training system, adapting effective tools for identifying giftedness and developing competencies for tutorial support.
Keywords: India, gifted children, teacher training, English language, educational policy, pedagogical education, challenges, prospects
References:
1. Roy P. Gifted education in India. Cogent Education, 2017, vol. 4, no. 1, 1332815. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2017.1332815
2. Surendar M., Nc K. B. The Path and Direction of National Education Policy 2020 for the Gifted Children in India. ResearchGate. 2022. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359999655_The_Path_and_Direction_of_National_Education_Policy_2020_for_the_Gifted_Children_in_India (accessed 9 October 2025).
3. Gagne F. From gifts to talents: The DMGT as a developmental model. In: Sternberg R.J., Davidson J.E. (eds.). Conceptions of giftedness. 2nd ed. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511610455.008 Cambridge University Press, 2005. Pp. 98–119.
4. Gagne F. Building gifts into talents: Detailed overview of the DMGT 2.0. In: MacFarlane B., Stambaugh T. (eds.). Leading change in gifted education: The festschrift of Dr. Joyce VanTassel-Baska. Prufrock Press, 2009. Pp. 61–80.
5. Subotnik R.F., Olszewski-Kubilius P., Worrell F.C. Rethinking giftedness and gifted education: A proposed direction forward based on psychological science. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2011, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 3–54. URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26168418/ (accessed 23 October 2025).
6. National Education Policy 2020. Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India. 2020. URL: https://ncert.nic.in/pdf/nep/NEP_2020.pdf (accessed 1 July 2025).
7. Jovanović M., Ćirković-Miladinović I. Identifying Indicators of Student Giftedness in English as a Foreign Language: a Multiple Case Study. Issues in Journalism, Education, Linguistics, 2025, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 302-316. DOI: 10.52575/2712-7451-2025-44-2-302-316
8. National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). National curriculum framework for school education (Pre-draft of NCF-SE 2023). 2023. URL: https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/NCF-School-Education-Pre-Draft.pdf (accessed 23 October 2025).
9. Tyagi P. Innovative Science Practices for Mentoring Potentially Gifted Students in India. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 2022, vol. 15, no. 25, pp. 1234–1243. https://doi.org/10.17485/IJST/v15i25.757
10. Certificate program in Education of Gifted and Talented Students. Cluster Innovation Centre, University of Delhi. URL:http://cic.du.ac.in/userfiles/downloads/CertificateCourses/Certificate%20course%20for%20Education%20of%20Gifted%20and%20Talented%202023-24%20.pdf (accessed 15 October 2025).
11. Avcu Y.E., Er K.O. Developing an instructional design for the field of ICT and Software for gifted and talented students. International Journal of Educational Methodology, 2020, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 161–183. – URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339390495_Developing_an_Instructional_Design_for_the_Field_of_I_CT_and_Software_for_Gifted_and_Talented_Students (accessed 23 October 2025).
12. Titova S.V., Kharlamenko I.V. Podgotovka pedagogicheskikh kadrov k ispol’zovaniyu iskusstvennogo intellekta v obuchenii inostrannym yazykam [Training of teaching staff for the use of artificial intelligence in foreign language teaching]. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 19. Lingvistika i mezhkul’turnaya kommunikatsiya – Moscow University Bulletin. Series 19. Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, 2025, no. 1, pp. 66–84 (in Russian). doi: 10.55959/MSU-2074-1588-19-28-1-5
13. Desmet O.A., Cakmakci H., Tuzgen A. Evaluating the effectiveness of the online delivery of affective curriculum for gifted students. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 2023, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 140–166. https://doi.org/10.1177/01623532231162606
14. Desmet O.A., Pereira N. The Achievement Motivation Enhancement curriculum: Evaluating an affective intervention for gifted students. Journal of Advanced Academics, 2022, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 129–153. https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X211057424
15. Desmet O.A., Pereira N., Peterson J.S. Telling a tale: How underachievement develops in gifted girls. Gifted Child Quarterly, 2020, vol. 64, no. 2, pp. 85–99. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0016986219888633
16. Desmet O.A., Roberts A.M. Teaching for positive and transformational creativity through service learning. Education Sciences, 2022, vol. 12, no. 4, p. 234. https://doi.org/10.3390/ educsci12040234
17. Chowkase A.A., Desmet O.A., Datar K., Deshpande A., Khasnis S. Affective Outcomes of a Summer Talent Development Program: What Do Students Say? Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 2024. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/01623532241235570
18. Azzalini A. Critical Thinking, Questioning and Reasoning as Inclusive Teaching Methods for English Language Learning with Gifted Students. EL.LE, 2023, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 69–84. e-ISSN 2280-6792. DOI: 10.30687/ELLE/2280-6792/2023/01/003
19. Kurup A., Dixit S., Chandra A. Traits of gifted children in India: An analysis (NIAS Report R40-2016). National Institute of Advanced Studies, 2016. URL: http://eprints.nias.res.in/2267/ (accessed 23 October 2025).
( 443.36 kB ) 
( 439.39 kB )
Issue: 2, 2026
Series of issue: Issue 2
Rubric: METHODOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY OF PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
Pages: 77 — 86
Downloads: 18