Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Open Access Dissertation

Abstract

Academic stress is changing the dynamics of school and the culture of learning for students (Challenge Success, n.d.). This is especially apparent in gifted students who indicate higher instances of feeling it is important to do well in school, being competitive in school, and a desire to be the best at everything (Baker, 1996). Gifted high school students today experience a competitive school culture, defined in this study as the drive for students to take as many honors courses, Advanced Placement (AP), and course accelerations as possible. Previous studies indicate that students in academically rigorous courses like AP experience more stress than their peers in general education courses (Suldo & Shaunessy-Dedrick, 2013). AP courses cause additional stressors from the number of assignments and the size of the projects (Shaunessy-Dedrick et al., 2015). These studies address aspects of competitive school culture in general and do not specifically focus on gifted students. More research needs to be conducted to address the holistic experience of gifted students in a competitive school environment. When the social-emotional needs of gifted students are ignored, these students are less likely to reach their optimal success (Ewing et al., 2021).

This phenomenological study explored the perspectives of gifted students, parents of gifted students, teachers of talented and gifted students, counselors, and administrators on competitive school culture and how this culture connects to gifted student well-being. Through interviews, this research confirmed competitive school culture is alive and well in schools and is impacting the well-being of gifted students. The research uncovered some benefits to intellectual well-being for gifted students, but highlighted that schools must be careful that the environment does not tip to more negatives than positives, especially for emotional and social well-being. The research suggests that gifted students need systems in place to support their overall well-being and to push students to burn bright, not out (Redbubble, n.d.).

Year of Submission

2025

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

First Advisor

Mason Kuhn

Date Original

2025

Object Description

1 PDF file (xiii, 127 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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