Despite many advances in the field of special education, there are relatively few studies on the subject of high abilities/giftedness (HA/G), particularly in the interior of Brazil. This paper presents results of a study that aimed to investigate the supposition that there is a basic lack of understanding about HA/G in the Pelotas Federal University (UFPel) teacher preparation courses. In this case study, data was collected from almost a third of the undergraduate students in mathematics courses. The survey instrument was a questionnaire designed to carry out a quantitative and qualitative analysis of their knowledge and conceptions about HA/G. The results pointed out that the majority of the students had not studied this topic and it is not addressed in their courses. For this reason, they are unaware of the relevant legislation on this theme, much less that the terms "giftedness" and "high abilities" mean the same thing. Due to their lack of information, their answers revealed various mythological conceptions, as juxtaposed to the literature. To mention one example, most of them had the assumption that gifted students form a homogeneous group whose members never fail in school.
Special Education; High Abilities/Giftedness; Mathematics; Myths; Talent
