Effectiveness of a "Grassroots" Statewide Enrichment Program for Gifted Elementary School Children

• In Event: Poster Session 7
  In Poster Session: Curricular and Programmatic Efforts in Gifted Education

Abstract

Enrichment programs provide learning opportunities for a broader or deeper examination of curricular or extracurricular topics. Herein, we investigated the effectiveness of a statewide extracurricular enrichment program for gifted elementary school children in Germany. The program implemented a “grass roots” strategy by which local units developed and offered enrichment courses. The courses targeted different outcomes (e.g., students’ school achievement, interests). We compared students attending the program (N = 423) with nonattending students (N = 2,328) by means of a propensity score analysis. Specifically, we controlled for potential selection effects and estimated the average causal effect of the enrichment program for children attending the program. The findings revealed positive program effects on academic achievement but not on the other targeted outcomes.

Authors

• Jessika Golle, University of Tübingen

• Ingo Zettler, Center for Educational Science and Psychology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany

• Norman Rose, University of Tübingen

• Ulrich Trautwein, University of Tubingen

• Marcus Hasselhorn, German Institute for International Educational Research

• Benjamin Nagengast, University of Tübingen