Gifted Students in College: Suggestions for Advisors and Faculty Members
The definition and the need for appropriate services to the gifted college population are not as apparent in the postsecondary environment as in the K-12 schools. Many college educators perceive that college curricula provide the needed rigor and enrichment for gifted and honors students to make continuous progress in their learning. We explore perceptions of college honors students who were in gifted programs in their secondary learning environments. Through focus group discussions, students report that often college courses do not meet their need for more challenging learning opportunities. Based on our findings, we suggest ways that college advisors and faculty members can serve honors students in ways that challenge their learning and address their unique psychosocial needs.
Relative emphasis: practice, research, theory
Contributor Notes
Dr. Lee Kem is Director of the Undergraduate Advising Center and associate professor in the College of Education at Murray State University and can be contacted at lee.kem@coe.murraystate.edu.
Dr. Joy Navan is Director of the Center for Gifted Studies and associate professor in the College of Education at Murray State University. She can be reached at joy.navan@coe.murraystate.edu.
Navan and Kem are currently conducting research focused on the benefits of early mentoring of gifted female students.