Gamze Sart, The Effects of Technology on Improving Achievements of the Gifted ... online diagnostic tests and a wide variety of challenging courses anytime and ...
Gamze Sart, The Effects of Technology on Improving Achievements of the Gifted Youth (E.26) Since the development of the technological devices and the Internet, the students who are identified as gifted have found better chances in terms of diagnostic and counseling centers in the world which provide better individualized assessments and learning environments to support the needs of talented and gifted learners. In Turkey, however, a few gifted and talented youth who have fluency in English can reach such a kind of programs which help them to be accepted by the best universities in the world and to find scholarships. The study involved analyzing the effects of advances in technology, especially the Internet, which offer online diagnostic tests and a wide variety of challenging courses anytime and anywhere by means of online distance education. The experiences and achievements of 11 young gifted participants were observed between the years of 2009 and 2011, together with 5 educators from the same learning environment. Open-ended interviews were conducted with the volunteer participants whose responses were coded according to themes which were supported as well by the researcher’s participant observations. The analysis of the data showed that educators and gifted learners felt that intensive and international gifted programs and courses were essential in order to take a part in the global world which could be reached through the Internet. Two of these students who participated in these international distance learning programs were selected for the international gifted program and took a medal and a scholarship after they had taken SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test). Most of the distance learning centers accepted SAT as a diagnostic test for the gifted and talented learners who came outside the US, after the 7th or 8th grade. All the students expressed satisfaction in distance learning courses and expressed a need for continuing education which provide enrichment and empowerment for their abilities, knowledge, and interests because the online courses improved their academic achievements and motivation at the schools. Additional comparative research is needed to learn more about the effects of these long distance programs.
