Title: An evaluation of school principals' abilities in giftedness management in Kazakhstani specialised and IT schools

Authors: Aigul Karkulova; Aliya S. Mambetalina; Kehinde C. Lawrence; Yerkhan Abduldayev; Arstan Satanov; Gazhdembek Tursunov; Talgat Turemuratov; Nurbek Azbergenov

Addresses: Astana International University, Astana, Kazakhstan ' Department of Psychology, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana, Kazakhstan ' Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana, Kazakhstan ' SDU University, Almaty, Kazakhstan ' Astana IT University, Astana, Kazakhstan ' The Republican Scientific and Practical Centre 'Daryn', Astana, Kazakhstan ' European Higher College of Economics, Business and Law, The International Public Foundation 'International Academy of Pedagogy', Almaty, Astana, Kazakhstan ' Department of Pathology Anatomy and Forensic Medicine, West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University, Aktobe, Kazakhstan

Abstract: The recognition and support of gifted schoolchildren is a priority for the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This study aimed to evaluate how effectively school principals manage gifted education in Kazakhstani specialised and IT schools. A quantitative, survey-based research design was employed, using a self-developed scale to assess three key areas of management: resource allocation, role coordination, and oversight of teaching and pedagogy. A total of 102 school principals participated in the main study, with 63.7% identifying as female and 36.3% as male. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were used for data analysis. The results indicate that school principals play a critical role in managing gifted education, demonstrating moderate competence in resource management and higher effectiveness in overseeing teaching practices and pedagogical approaches. No statistically significant differences in management abilities were observed based on gender or years of service. The findings emphasise the need to strengthen school leadership in order to foster inclusive education and support the full development of gifted learners. These insights serve as a basis for creating specialised leadership training programs focused on gifted education in Kazakhstan, and they may also have implications for comparable educational contexts throughout Central Asia.

Keywords: gifted education; gifted students; school principals; educational leadership; transformational leadership; inclusive education; educational management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMIE.2025.149074

International Journal of Management in Education, 2025 Vol.19 No.6, pp.648 - 674

Received: 07 Feb 2024
Accepted: 25 Jul 2024
Published online: 13 Oct 2025 *

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