An exploratory study of elementary gifted students’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption to traditional schooling environments for students across the globe. Students had to learn new technology tools and navigate barriers such as lack of devices or the internet. Gifted learners have unique social-emotional characteristics that may impact how they adapted to this new learning environment and how they handled related stressors. This paper reports results from an exploratory qualitative study that investigated the experiences of elementary gifted learners in the United States during the first year of the global pandemic. In the Spring of 2021, focus groups were held with 12 gifted learners in grades 3-6 and surveys were administered to 300 elementary gifted students online using Qualtrics. Purposive and snowball sampling was implemented to recruit participants from national gifted organizations and from high intelligence societies. An online survey instrument was developed to elicit student feedback on type and quality of gifted services provided during remote learning, students’ feelings about the pandemic, and their experiences in a virtual learning environment. Nine open-ended questions were included in the focus group protocol to probe student experiences. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze open-ended survey responses and focus group transcripts. Results revealed both positive and negative implications of online learning for the gifted, including satisfaction with opportunities to compact curriculum and accelerate their learning, being able to spend more time on hobbies and with family, and feelings of social isolation, depression, and worry. Themes that emerged from the data include improvements to feedback, flexibility, and a desire for connections. Students provided insight and suggestions for improving content, pace, and social connections. Recommendations for educators, administrators, and families will be discussed.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• pandemic
• gifted and talented
• emergency remote instruction
• online education

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