Gifted students’ perceptions on the role of school experience in their academic performance at university of international standard in Kazakhstan

• In Event: Eurasia SIG Highlighted Session: Post-secondary educational transition and social mobility in post-Socialist countries

Abstract

Government support of gifted children in Kazakhstan is based in understanding human capital as a main component of the country’s further successful economic development. In 2009, the government of Kazakhstan launched a project of intellectual schools for gifted children (Nazarbayev Intellectual schools), a policy which has the aim to accelerate the development of education system and in turn, the country. The main idea of these new intellectual schools for gifted children is aimed at quality education of the future scientific elite, top managers and leaders for all the spheres of the Kazakhstani economy. There is much freedom in choosing the curriculum and textbooks and many other innovative methods of teaching and upbringing. The schools are expected to disseminate successful experience and practices to the wider system of education in Kazakhstan.
Since 2010, graduates of NIS (Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools) have been entering higher education institutions in Kazakhstan and abroad. It is thus interesting to examine how the students undergo their transition from secondary school to post-secondary education and how well they are prepared to study at the university of international standard. This study seeks to understand the ways NIS graduates value their educational experience in terms of developing necessary skills for education at the university.
Results of this mixed methods research study indicate that NIS graduates value greatly the knowledge and skills that they received at school and highly rate their preparedness for academic rigors at the university. However, findings also indicate that there are some areas that need improvement, as, for instance, the more effective strategies in grouping students according to their level of English and improvement of English writing skills, as well as more effective preparation in terms of time management, ICT and critical thinking skills is needed.
According to the NIS graduate’s perceptions, the schools need to develop in their students such important dispositions as the sense of patriotism, sense of civic duty, the sense of responsibility and the sense of constant self-improvement, because as they perceived, these qualities and dispositions are even more important than knowledge of subjects or other generic skills, for the benefit of the students themselves but also for the benefit of the country. The study also reveals that NIS graduates, like the majority of other students, face a set of challenges within the transition period from school to university.
This study allowed the NIS graduates to provide insights into their preparedness to the academic rigors of the university life, the quality of knowledge and skills, they had got at NIS, their transition from school to university and their reflection on how their school experience relates their current performance at the university of international standard. This is very important, as knowing graduates’ perceptions about their school experience; it is possible to make conclusions about the lack or presence of some core skills and knowledge that are necessary at the university level
This study contributes to the understanding of gifted children education in Kazakhstan by providing information on how NIS graduates assess their school experience in terms of preparation for university. Findings of the research have implications for the teachers and administrators of gifted programs around the world, university administrators and policy- analysts. The study also contributes to the general discussion of the skills agenda in the 21st century, what skills and competencies are important for the graduates in different levels of education.

Author

• Ainur Almukhambetova, Nazarbayev University