How can schools ensure that gifted students receive the support they need while staying true to the Nordic ideals of equality, inclusion, and high-quality education for all? The new book Nordic Perspectives on Gifted Education takes an in-depth look at this important question by presenting the latest research and practice in gifted education across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
The Nordic countries are widely recognized for their commitment to equality and inclusive education. However, inclusion has often been understood primarily in relation to students with learning difficulties, while the educational needs and rights of gifted students have received far less attention. This book explores how that is beginning to change.
Across the region, interest in gifted education has grown significantly in recent years. Increased research, new funding initiatives, policy development, expanded teacher support, and greater media attention have all contributed to a rapidly evolving landscape. Through case studies from each of the five Nordic countries, the book illustrates both the progress that has been made and the challenges that remain.
In addition to these country perspectives, the volume presents contemporary research on gifted education from both theoretical and empirical viewpoints. International contributors also offer broader reflections on the opportunities and challenges facing Nordic educational policy, research, and practice.
The book provides teachers, parents, researchers, and policymakers with an up-to-date overview of the current state of gifted education in the Nordic region. It highlights recent developments in research, policy, teacher education, and classroom practice, offering valuable insights into how scientifically grounded, ethical, and pedagogically sound decisions can better support gifted learners.
Whether you are an educator, researcher, policymaker, parent, or simply interested in the future of inclusive education, this book is a valuable resource for understanding how the Nordic countries are approaching gifted education today—and where the field is headed next.
The editors of this book
Valerie Margrain is coordinator of the Nordic Network for Gifted Education and the doctoral program GiftED. Her own research in gifted education has focused on young children, teachers’ narrative observations, early readers, and parent perspectives.
Kirsi Tirri is a Professor of Education at the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Helsinki, and a past-president of the European Council for High Ability (ECHA). Her research interests include school pedagogy, moral and religious education, gifted education, teacher education, and cross-cultural studies.
Contemporary Research in Special Education
Nordic Perspectives on Gifted Education is an edited volume of Contemporary Research in Special Education, a peer-reviewed series of monographs and edited volumes published by Stockholm University Press.
How to access this book
At the Stockholm University Press website you can download an ePub or pdf-file that allows you to read the book online or access it on multiple devices. You may also order a print copy of the book through the DOI-link: https://doi.org/10.16993/bdo
About the publisher Stockholm University Press
Stockholm University Press is an open access publisher of peer-reviewed academic journals and books. We aim to make journals and books affordable, and to give them the widest possible dissemination, so that researchers around the world can find and access the information they need without barriers.
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