Long-term effects of the enrichment program `Kolumbus-Kids`

Authors : Maria Sophie SCHÄFERS, Claas WEGNER

Pages : 73-82

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Publication Date : 2020-08-15

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Enrichment programs and giftedness research have an enormous potential to support knowledge and personalities of gifted individuals. Particularly in view of the prevailing shortage of skilled workers in occupations in the natural sciences, the promotion of gifted and interested students seems to be necessary in order to motivate them for a career in this sector in the long term. The following study addresses the long-term implications of “Kolumbus-Kids”—an natural scientific enrichment program designed to promote gifted elementary and middle school students—by examining the extent to which the program exhibited lasting effects on participants’ scientific self-concept, natural scientific interest and career insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(i.e., course); choice. Former participants of the project “Kolumbus-Kids” insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(N = 137); took an online-survey to collect subjective estimations of several different constructs insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(e.g., scientific self-concept, influence on the choice of career and/or course); in a quantitative study. We did not reveal any statistically significant differences between former female and male participants in terms of self-concept insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(p = .357);, scientific interest insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(p = .868); and influence on the choice of career and/or course insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(p = .853);. Consequentially, the project ` Kolumbus-Kids` appears to simultaneously promote female and male participants, without gender playing a role. Furthermore, when compared to the national German average, the study showed that the female and male participants were three times more likely to choose a career insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(i.e., profession); in the field of natural sciences. This aspect leads to the assumption that the project itself may act as a positive influence on the future career choices of its participants.
Keywords : quantitative study, biographical research, natural scientific giftedness, enrichment program, long term effects