Problemlösning för särskilt begåvade elever – ett sätt att inkludera och utmana : En studie om hur lågstadielärare tillämpar problemlösningsuppgifter för särskilt begåvade elever

Sammanfattning: The study aims to increase the knowledge of the extent to which primary school teachers use problem solving tasks to challenge and include mathematically gifted pupils. Furthermore, it aims to increase knowledge about the factors that influence teachers´ design around these tasks. The work is based on a quantitative survey among primary school teachers who teach mathematics. 104 teachers were included in the study group, where 96 percent had competence in teaching mathematics for compulsory school grades 1-3. The study clarifies what characterizes gifted pupils and how these features can be noticed in mathematics education. Furthermore, the teacher’s theoretical and didactic competence in mathematics is central to developing and shaping learning opportunities containing problem-solving tasks, which are well adapted to challenge and include gifted pupils. The study's overall theoretical approach is based on a cognitive theory and the result was analyzed with the help of the Mathematics Tasks Framework. The result shows that the majority of the lower-level teachers, who were part of the selection group, believe that problem solving tasks are advantageous to apply in order to include and challenge gifted pupils. However, teachers feel that they are facing obstacles in the work of giving gifted pupils the opportunity to learn, both in the planning phase and in the implementation phase. Teachers admit that they need to improve their competence in order to be able to challenge and include gifted pupils in mathematics education.