A Case Study of Mentorship Program for Gifted Students

Abstract

Mentorship programs for gifted students have been developed and processed in several institutions for the gifted in Korea since its pilot study in 1997. They have achieved positive responses from program participants and stakeholders, however, there still need thorough attentions to evaluate the effects and management of the programs. This case study is an attempt to understand how students experience the mentoring program for the gifted at Seoul National University and how their experiences influence their next stage of education. Four middle school students participated in the program for 64 hours and later they were invited to survey questionnaires. In the findings, students highly valued the program in terms of experiencing innovative science experiments. They also said that their learning experiences in the mentorship program positively influenced their decisions to enter science high schools. However, after they entered the high schools, there were not many follow-up activities which could continuously sup port their previous learning experiences in the mentorship program, which urges critical reviews of the program in and after the process for an effective long-term development.