“Developing Capabilities”. Inclusive Extracurricular Enrichment Programs to Improve the Well-Being of Gifted Adolescents

Abstract

The educational inclusion of gifted students requires not only equity but also emotional accessibility and social participation. However, different studies indicate that gifted students constitute a vulnerable group (for example, the incidence of bullying is higher). Psychosocial variables are determinants for the development and expression of giftedness, particularly during adolescence. This study analyzes the impact of an inclusive extracurricular enrichment program for gifted secondary school students on the well-being of adolescents. The program was based on the enrichment model of Renzulli and Reis (2016). The objective was to develop a cluster to facilitate high-achieving learning in collaboration with teachers, administrators, and guidance counselors from their schools as well as university professors and students that would address their emotions and socialization across the board and benefit or involve their peers in their regular classrooms. The intervention took place over two years: eight sessions, one afternoon per week, for five months during each school year. The sample consisted of 47 students from the first and second years of compulsory secondary education (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria - ESO) (age, mean (M) = 12.57, standard deviation (SD) = 0.82) during the first year and 27 students from the first, second, and third years of ESO (age, M = 13.48, SD = 0.94) during the second year; 61.4% were girls. Participants completed a questionnaire before (T1) and (T3) and after (T2) and (T4) each intervention. The results show better outcomes for psychological and subjective well-being, more positive moods, and a significant reduction in school fears. The results from this study indicate the importance of educational screening and support for gifted students to promote their well-being through collaborative enrichment activities.

Youth Well-being: Exploring Models and Instruments

“…United Kingdom (7), Germany (4), Ireland (3), Austria (1), Netherlands (2), France (1), Wales (1), Scotland (1).…”

“…Mediterranean Europe Spain (25), Portugal (7), Italy (3), Turkey (2). Subjective well-being; Psychological wellbeing; Mental well-being; Happiness.…”

“…The constructs associated with well-being will be presented in four axes, namely, Constructs in the positive psychology paradigm, Constructs in the health-illness paradigm, Constructs associated with physical health and Constructs associated with the context. Regarding the constructs in the positive psychology paradigm, the use of emotional intelligence [87][88][89][90][91][92] , character strengths 7,[93][94][95] , high skills 96,97 , basic psychological needs 98,99 and positive youth development (PYD) [100][101] stands out.…”

“…Youth Well-being: Exploring Models and Instruments About the constructs associated with the context that are applied, well-being was investigated in relation to the situation of residential vulnerability 45,46,69,121 , personality 48,49,90,94 , well-being in adolescent caregivers 122 , neurocognitive aspects 123 , life events related to politics 95 and poverty 124 . Regarding the constructs associated with physical health, few articles were retrieved, related to physical activity 107,125 and sleep, cigarettes, alcohol 43,125 .…”

“…Recent studies point to the wide application of SWB and PWB in the adolescent population 3,6,7 , which are often associated with the school context 8,9 . However, in recent years models that adopt a complementary approach between these two perspectives have emerged, offering a more comprehensive view of well-being and its connections with related constructs 10 .…”