How Academically Gifted Elementary,Urban Students Respond to Challenge in an Enriched,Differentiated Reading Program

Abstract

This mixed-methods study combined the use of qualitative, comparative case study methods with other data analysis procedures to investigate an afterschool enriched reading program for academically gifted students who had also been identified as talented readers. The Schoolwide Enrichment Model-Reading Framework (SEM-R) was used to provide challenging reading experiences for 2 days each week in a 6-week afterschool program. Although their reading fluency scores improved, each academically gifted student initially encountered frustration when asked to read content that was either at or slightly above his or her current independent reading level. With encouragement, these academically gifted students began to be able to read texts that were slightly above their current instructional level for short periods of time. Without encountering more challenging content, as these students become older, they may become frustrated with more advanced material in honors or advanced classes in subsequent years, despite their identification as gifted.

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