The connection of gifted education services and learning adaptation of gifted students at primary and secondary schools

This study investigated the educational connection, learning development, life adaption, and future career of gifted students in primary and secondary schools in Taiwan. Data were collected through the national Special Education Transmit Net, a collection of special education information in Taiwan, and the self-designed Taiwan Longitudinal Study and Gifted Support Network website after focus discussions with experts. Data of the connection between gifted education services and perspectives on learning adaptation of the gifted students in primary and secondary schools were also collected using an online survey questionnaire. Each subquestionnaire encompassed 12 core topics to track the students’ cross-stage development. It had good reliability and validity. Additionally, based on the care for disadvantaged students to receive gifted education services, this study investigated the ratio of twice-exceptional students to the total number of gifted students. The results of the questionnaire and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are presented as follows: 1. A lower rate of educational connection was found: 35.2% of primary school gifted students attended gifted programs in junior high schools, but the educational connection rate for the junior high school gifted students who attended to the senior high school gifted programs decreased to 24.0%. 2. Educational services helped the gifted students select their university major: 85.2% of mathematically and scientifically gifted students chose majors in the relevant fields of science and engineering; 86.8% of gifted students in the language art areas chose majors in the relevant fields of language and humanities. 3. Only 1% of all gifted students were identified as being gifted and having a disability in each of the education stages, which is lower than that identified in other countries. 4. The gifted respondents, irrespective of their learning stage, indicated that the program had a positive impact on their learning development, life adaption, and attitude toward future career. 5. Many differences were found in gifted student’s educational adaption in terms of gender and domains of giftedness, indicating different achievements among the students. Female gifted primary school students performed better than their male counterparts in terms of life adaption, unlike the senior high school gifted students. Additionally, mathematically and scientifically gifted senior high school students were better adjusted to life than those gifted in language and social sciences. 6. In general, primary school gifted students maintained a positive attitude toward learning development, life adaptation, and future career compared with junior and senior high school gifted students. Suggestions are proposed based on the study results for managing and tracking gifted students’ education.