Important Social and Academic Interactions in Supporting Gifted Youth in Non-Formal Education

Abstract

This case study investigated how 16–19-year-old international gifted youth felt that a non-formal educational program in math, science and technology, called the Millennium Youth Camp, supported them and what kind of long-term impact did it have on their lives. In the first part of the research, 88 international students answered an open-ended questionnaire about their opinions on the non-formal program. According to content analysis, the two most important aspects of the non-formal educational program were (i) social interaction between each other and the experts and (ii) academic activity and support. The second part of the research was conducted a year after the camp by an online survey, in which the attendees wrote an essay on how the experience had affected their lives. The content analysis of the essays indicated that the experience had a long-term impact on how the students saw themselves and their future. Based on the findings, it is outlined what principles should be implemented into non-formal learning in order to support the gifted.