Contributions of curricular enrichment activities in the cognitive and academic performance of students with giftedness

Abstract

Students with giftedness need differentiated teaching-learning programs and curriculum enrichment activities are educational alternatives provided for this audience. The present pre-experimental study design investigated the contributions of curricular enrichment activities in the cognitive and academic development of students with giftedness, before and after attending them, for at least one year. 17 students participated, 13 boys and four girls, aged between seven and 15 years old, from Elementary School, both public (nine) and private (eight) networks, from schools in a medium-sized city in the interior of São Paulo. The Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices Test, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale (WISC-IV) and the School Achievement Test (TDE) were used, and their data were described and compared before and after the intervention. The results showed significantly higher post-test scores for the three instruments. However, it was not possible to attribute this improvement only to the curricular enrichment activities experienced by the students. As limitations, it is highlighted: the enrichment activities were only at the exploratory level; the small sample size and the lack of a control group to compare the results. As a strong point, it appears that there is little research on curriculum enrichment offered to students with giftedness.