Challenging Gifted University Students

• In Event: Affective Issues for Gifted Students: Motivation, Attitude, and Sources of Stress

Abstract

When searching for indicators of an optimal learning environment for gifted students, the concept of challenge is mentioned most frequently. Overchallenge can lead to negative emotions like worry and anxiety, which in turn may hamper motivation and learning. In this study, we wanted to determine what challenges students in such a way that learning and motivation are stimulated. We examined a course that succeeds extremely well in challenging gifted students. Results indicate that students’ perceived learning was highest when they experienced overchallenge. Although students felt worried and frustrated when overchallenged, their efforts increased. The challenge was constituted by the complexity of the task, the lack of teacher guidance, and the high expectations of teachers as well as of students themselves.

Authors

• Karin Scager, Utrecht University

• Sanne Akkerman, Utrecht University

• Albert Pilot, Utrecht University

• Theo Wubbels, Utrecht University