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Highly gifted students' participation in a mentoring program
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine factors which determine participation in the Lincoln Public School's mentoring program for highly gifted students (grades 5-8). Participation in the program is voluntary and 50% of the eligible students chose not to participate during the 1989-90 school year. Phase I of this study replicated and confirmed the results of an earlier study (Colangelo & Kelly, 1983). General population students, highly gifted students, parents of both groups, and teachers were asked to rate the importance of the highly gifted program. The highly gifted activities/programs were rated acceptable, but were rated below activities/programs such as sports, and instrumental music. Phase II surveyed highly gifted students. No significant differences were found between participants (n = 24) and nonparticipants (n = 14) on questions as to whether any of the following affected participation in the mentoring program: interference with other activities/classes, parental expectations, being labeled gifted, and past experience with other mentors. When combined means of participants and nonparticipants were studied, only parental expectations affected participation. Phase III interviews with highly gifted students who were highly in favor of the mentoring program (HF, n = 4) and those who were very little in favor of the mentoring program (LF, n = 4) confirmed results of Phase II questionnaires on parental expectations and on being labeled gifted. There was lesser agreement on the categories of interference with other activities/classes and past experience with mentors. In conclusion, probably the greatest differences between participants (HF) and nonparticipants (LF) were that: (1) Nonparticipants (LF) did not want to be separated from their peers; and (2) when parents were perceived to encourage participation in the mentoring program participants (HF) did participate. When parents were perceived as not caring about participation, non participants (LF) choose not to participate.
Subject Area
Elementary education|Special education
Recommended Citation
Wright-Romjue, Mary Kalen, "Highly gifted students' participation in a mentoring program" (1991). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9200154.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9200154