Information technology gifted program under the national curriculum reform of basic education: A case study on a senior high-school in Shanghai, China

Abstract

As the definition of ‘giftedness’ differs by country, policy set to support gifted education differs accordingly. The objective of this study is to investigate the outcomes of the IT Gifted Program offered by Yi Chuan Senior High School in Shanghai. The participants are 24 students who were or had been enrolled in this program. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and documents related to the program. The IT Gifted Program is found to boost participants’ confidence in their abilities in the information technology field. Furthermore, most of the gifted students reported great learning improvements in all academic areas, showed increased confidence in general and were more engaged in both collaborative learning and independent study. Most importantly, positive outcomes in terms of successful admission to higher education institutions are evidenced.