Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Dissertation in Practice
Degree Name
Ed.D.
Organizational Unit
Morgridge College of Education, Teaching and Learning Sciences, Curriculum and Instruction
First Advisor
Norma L. Hafenstein
Second Advisor
Paul Michalec
Third Advisor
Maria Salazar
Fourth Advisor
Kimberly Schmidt
Keywords
Agency, Confidence, Curiosity, Gifted education, High school, Secondary
Abstract
The nuanced and complex cognitive and social-emotional needs of high school gifted learners are not sufficiently met through accelerated coursework like Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate alone. Addressing their needs requires the design, implementation, and leadership of programming that maximizes their agency, curiosity, and confidence. Such programming should be fully modern in its conception and allow gifted high school students to construct and share products of their learning with respect to issues of global importance. The purpose of this study was to explore high school learning environments designed to maximize the agency, confidence, and curiosity of gifted and talented secondary students.
Framed in the tenets of Self-Determination Theory, this study investigated how three secondary schools nurtured student agency, curiosity, and confidence. The descriptive case study included twelve participants who served as teachers, administrators, and counselors. Analysis of the data yielded five themes consistent to all three school sites: Connected Technology, Structured Questioning, Interdisciplinarity, Appreciation of Intensities, and Gradual Release. Each theme was described through the lenses of student agency, curiosity, and confidence to provide context and details pertaining to how modern learning environments can be built as courses, programs, and school to maximize the potential of gifted secondary students.
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Ryan A. McClintock
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
File Format
application/pdf
Language
en
File Size
243 p.
Recommended Citation
McClintock, Ryan A., "Nurturing Excellence: A Case Study of High School Learning Environments for the Gifted" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1806.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1806
Copyright date
2020
Discipline
Gifted education, Education
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Gifted Education Commons, Secondary Education Commons