Abstract:

This study fills several knowledge gaps within the literature of gifted education, specifically with respect to the role of mentorship in guiding and developing gifted young minds as they begin to move into advanced academic and professional environments. It surveys the experiences of college students, all of whom had participated in a university-based gifted mentorship program in high school, by asking them to relate their impressions of the program and its effects on their cognitive and research skills. It takes a mixed-method approach by analyzing an online questionnaire answered by 71 students, as well as responses to two open-ended questions answered by 35 students; finally, it conducts individual interviews with 10 students. Results indicate positive student perceptions toward the program overall, and positive correlations between those perceptions and other specific factors studied, with perceptions of cognitive development and university mentors being the most strongly correlated. Students also raised some unanticipated factors that may have contributed to shaping their impressions, including the characteristics of their mentors, as well as aspects related to program implementation and learning elements. Recommendations for future research are then provided.

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