Will participating in this program make my child feel good about him/herself? Will it help him/her academically? Or could it do both at the same time? These are important and valid questions that all parents should consider when making decisions about their child’s academic experiences.
Academics and Self-Concept
Many parents think of asking about the academic consequences of participating in a program, but gifted programs can influence students more than just academically—they can influence how gifted students feel about themselves. These self-perceptions are often called “self-concepts,” and they are important because they can be strong predictors of future behaviors like educational aspirations, academic effort, and academic performance. Because of self-concept’s strong connection to so many important behaviors, numerous researchers have concluded that educational environments associated with decreases in self-concept should be avoided.
Given all these findings, some researchers have concluded that it is better to be a “big fish in a little pond” so that self-concept will increase.
New Findings
Recent results revealed that academic self-concept (ASC) and educational aspirations did not undergo significant declines when students attended an academic summer program for gifted students. Even though many gifted students were already scoring the absolute highest ASC scores (meaning they had no chance of going up!), participants were more than two times as likely to increase or maintain their ASC as they were to report declines in ASC. Such findings indicate that it is not necessarily always better to be a big fish in a little pond.
Moreover, several boosts were found in non-academic self-concepts. For example, students participating in a summer program reported feeling more confident in their physical attractiveness and social acceptance at the end of the program than they had beforehand. Similarly, some groups of students also showed increases in their close friendships and overall self-worth at the end of the program.
Choosing Academic Programs
When choosing a gifted program for your child, don’t be afraid to ask what the expected outcomes from participating in the programs are or what evaluations of the program have been conducted. Not every program has the resources to conduct extensive tests on itself, but every program should be doing something to make sure they are doing what they say they are doing.
Just like one apple pie isn’t as good as another, it is important to remember that different implementations of similar programs are not necessarily all the same. They may be using the same ingredients, but depending on how they are combined, the end results can be vastly different.
Situational and individual personal factors can play a role. The goal shouldn’t be to find the perfect program, but to find the perfect program for your child.
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