Undergraduates' perceptions of secondary gifted programs on collegiate academic achievement

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2012-05

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Abstract

This study examined undergraduates’ perceptions of their secondary gifted programs on collegiate academic achievement. A semi-structured interview utilized a descriptive case study approach with seven participants. This grounded theory study sought meaning and experiences from a purposive sample of undergraduate college students who participated in a secondary gifted program. The contextual framework of challenge, choice, academic self-efficacy, appeal, and meaningfulness (Gentry & Owen, 2006) provided the basis of analysis and coding of common themes of each participant’s story. The research questions guiding this study included the following: • In what ways (if any) do students who have participated in secondary gifted programs perceive these programs as they have progressed to higher education? • In what ways do students perceive that their participation in secondary gifted programs now influence them academically as college students? • In what ways might varying secondary gifted program models influence participants’ future college experiences? The three common themes that emerged were the ways in which diverse program models, former teachers, and the participants’ motivating academic passions in secondary gifted education programs informed collegiate academic achievement.

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Keywords

Education, higher, Motivation in education, Education, secondary

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