Building architecture for gifted education in Arab countries: a theoretical overview for implementing the ‘Actiotope model’

Gifted education is gaining popularity in non-western contexts such as Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to its potential to drive innovation and national development. However, globally, there are lapses in the current efforts towards the implementation of gifted education. This has culminated in discussions on effective ways to reform education systems for effective implementation of gifted education. The current paper generally focuses on the theoretical framework of the special issue about ‘Gifted Education in Arab Countries: Analyses from a Learning-Resource Perspective’ with a brief reference to the context of the UAE as an example of the participating countries. The framework developed by Zieger and his colleagues on the basis of the Actiotope concept, has been widely accepted as a useful model to guide gifted education in various contexts. The current paper presented the Actiotope model; developing a conceptual lens which could be used by policymakers who are in the process of reforming their education systems. At the heart of the Actiotope model is achievement of excellence which is considered as an interrelationship between individual, environment, and action. The study operationalized each of the tenets of the Actiotope model. Lastly, the study concluded with practical suggestions for integration of the tenets of the Actiotope model in the education system in Arab countries.