Gifted Students' Lived Experiences of Secondary STEM Education

• In Event: 54.081 - Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: 54.081-9 - Motivational and Affective Issues With Gifted and Talented Students

Abstract

This qualitative phenomenological study explored gifted students’ lived experiences of high school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Participants were seven college freshmen (five female) selected from the honors college at a large research university. In-depth interviews captured students’ retrospective accounts of their experiences surrounding high school STEM curricula, instruction, and learning environments. Interview transcripts were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Findings reflected six broad themes including STEM learning environment, organizational obstacles and limitations, social factors, students’ perceptions of STEM teachers, characteristics of learning experiences, and students’ STEM self-efficacy. Findings from this study offer a deeper understanding of contemporary STEM programming for gifted secondary students and help inform future curriculum design, program evaluation, and educational policy.

Authors

• Dianna R. Mullet, University of North Texas

• Todd Kettler, University of North Texas