"The Educational Gap in Preventive Attention to Cognitive Diversity: A Comparative Analysis between Gifted Students and Developmental Difficulty Profiles"

Recent research on educational inclusion has emphasized the importance of understanding the subjective experiences of students with special educational needs. However, students whose abilities surpass standard educational expectations are often excluded from this category, limiting their access to early identification and intervention.

This study examines the challenges faced by gifted students in mainstream classrooms and explores how the lack of targeted research and preventive measures contributes to a growing sense of academic disenchantment among this population. In some cases, students may conceal their abilities due to fear of social rejection.

Adopting a narrative qualitative approach grounded in interpretative epistemology, the research will be conducted in three public 5th grade primary classrooms, located in two municipalities in the Community of Madrid (Spain). The study employs teacher questionnaires and experimental tasks designed to explore educators’ dispositions, intuitions, and expectations, thereby revealing implicit priorities. Additionally, students’ perceptions of observable classroom processes related to this dynamic will be collected.

Recent literature indicates that educational systems predominantly prioritize identification and preventive interventions for students with developmental difficulties, whereas gifted students receive limited proactive support.

It is anticipated that observational and interview data will reflect this trend: teachers are more likely to propose immediate support and specific resources for students with evident difficulties, while preventive or enrichment measures for gifted students are less frequent, limited, or dependent on individual student initiative.

These findings underscore the persistence of an educational-preventive gap and provide evidence to inform inclusive strategies aimed at balancing support across cognitive profiles, ultimately improving early identification and pedagogical guidance for gifted learners.