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Full-year Acceleration of Gifted High School Students: A 360° View

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Giftedness and Talent

Abstract

Full-year acceleration is rarely implemented in schools around the world. The international literature suggests that it is the perceptions of teachers, rather than an examination of the evidence of published studies, which have hampered the adoption of acceleration as a strategy for gifted students. Study 1 (n=455) sought to identify New Zealand high school teachers’ perceptions towards full-year acceleration. Contrary to the literature, the quantitative and qualitative findings showed a high level of willingness on the part of teachers to utilise full-year acceleration for gifted students. Study 2 retrospectively examined the perceptions and outcomes of full-year acceleration from the viewpoints of former high school students (n=12) who had taken part in an innovative planned program of full-year acceleration. A control group (n=6) consisted of equally able siblings who were not accelerated. In addition, the perceptions of the parents of the students were analysed, as well as the views of key school administrators, including the principal and chair of the Board of Trustees. Findings indicated a high level of satisfaction with the strategy from all groups. This chapter summarises and discusses the findings in relation to the evidence-based literature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Janna Wardman

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  1. Janna Wardman
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Correspondence to Janna Wardman .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

    Nadine Ballam

  2. Faculty of Education, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

    Roger Moltzen

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Wardman, J. (2017). Full-year Acceleration of Gifted High School Students: A 360° View. In: Ballam, N., Moltzen, R. (eds) Giftedness and Talent. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6701-3_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6701-3_11

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