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Abstract
The main purpose of this study was to understand the predictors of teacher attitudes, in Mexico, toward the acceleration of gifted students. A mixed methods approach was implemented using a specially developed survey instrument and interviews. In the first phase of the investigation, the survey instrument was administered, using a stratified random sampling procedure, to 246 elementary school educators from public schools in two Mexican states (i.e., Tlaxcala and Querétaro). In the second phase, a refined version of the survey instrument was administered, using a cluster sampling procedure, to 633 elementary school teachers from public schools in three Mexican states (i.e., Aguascalientes, Tlaxcala, and Querétaro). Responses were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and multiple regression analyses. The findings suggested that school administrative support and socio-economic status positively predicted support for acceleration, whereas socio-emotional concerns was a negative predictor of support for acceleration. Furthermore, it was noted that there were four positive predictors (i.e., socio-emotional impact, school administrative support, self perceptions of giftedness, and state of application) and two negative predictors (i.e., age and socio-economic status) of the perception that acceleration may be elitist. Multiple themes that were identified in the qualitative data analysis of 25 teacher interviews supplemented, and provided a richer understanding of, the factors that were identified as predictive of teachers’ attitudes toward acceleration. This study may contribute to gaining a more complete understanding of teachers’ attitudes towards acceleration, and ways to enhance positive attitudes towards acceleration practices, in Mexico.