Gifted Irish Students’ Perception of Academic and Social Experiences during the Pandemic

Practice based

The Covid-19 pandemic caused worldwide disruption and resulted in drastic changes in education for approximately 1.6 billion learners (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2020). The present study focused on the Centre for Talented Youth - Ireland (CTYI) students’ academic and social experiences in their online, in-person and CTYI online learning during Covid-19. Quantitative analyses categorised student experiences into 4 groups: Teacher Support, My Learning, Resource Access, and Motivation Support. Results indicate significant differences in scores between online and in-person school learning with in-person being the preferred platform. CTYI received the highest mean scores across all categories and junior cycles scored consistently higher across all categories compared to senior cycles. Additionally, qualitative interviews were carried out on 16 students to better understand their social experiences. This study provides insight into Irish gifted students’ experiences of education during the pandemic and the effect of different learning platforms on their social and academic lives.