Abstract:
This study aimed to investigate school psychologists’ practices in an educational program for gifted students, as well as the challenges they face. The study scenario was a specialized educational program for students with high abilities/giftedness offered by a state secretary of Education located in the Midwest region of Brazil. Five school psychologists working in the program participated, and a semi-structured interview was used as instrument. Qualitative content analysis was performed to analyze the data. The results revealed that school psychologists carry out practices involving students, family members, and teachers, with five categories of practices standing out: psychological assessment of the student; welcoming, support, and guidance practices; brief interventions; planning, development, and monitoring of the activities; and dissemination of the program for the gifted. However, psychologists face challenges in their practice, such as the impact of mistaken myths and misconceptions, the government changes, the inconsistency in gifted education legislation, the insufficiency of investments in the program, and the influence of other contextual factors. In conclusion, school psychologists play crucial roles in serving the gifted, especially in mapping student’s needs and supporting those involved in their education, but several factors limit their practice. Therefore, directions are proposed to enable a broader and more effective practice of the psychologist.
Keywords:
School Psychologist; Practices; Giftedness; Educational Program; Human Development