Abstract
It is widely understood that Enrichment programs are beneficial for Gifted Students in developing their cognitive skills and meeting their intellectual needs. Some information is available to understand how these programs might also address Gifted Individuals’ unique emotional needs. Significantly less information is available on the social consequences that result from attending Enrichment Programs. This paper looks at the relationship between Gifted Individuals’ unique intellectual, emotional, and social needs in hopes to analyze how various Enrichment Programs address and affect each of these areas in positive or negative ways. The aim of the review is to find which Enrichment Program Model best fulfills the needs of Gifted Students. To better understand the impact that Enrichment Programs have on these individuals, it is necessary to uncover gaps in the literature to analyze how the programs affect the relationship these students have with their peers and within themselves. Many people assume Gifted Individuals already have all the resources they need; as such, they tend to fly under the radar. The literature shows that current models of Enrichment Programs are lacking in accommodating Gifted Student’s social needs, such as their self-esteem and self-efficacy, and only meet emotional needs in relation to academics. This review hopes to show that Part-Time Enrichment Programs produce the most positive and least negative outcomes in Gifted Students while meeting all of their needs. It also hopes to reveal what areas of Gifted education needs to be improved upon or researched further to provide the best support for these individuals.
