Canadian University Early Admission Policies for Gifted

165 Pages·2017·4.74 MB·English

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Waldemar P. Kruszynski, The University of Western Ontario
Supervisor: Vicki Schwean, Ph.D., The University of Western Ontario
Joint Supervisor: Pamela Bishop, Ph.D., The University of Western Ontario
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Education degree
in Education
© Waldemar P. Kruszynski 2014
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Kruszynski, Waldemar P., "Canadian University Early Admission Policies for Gifted and Talented Students"
(2014). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 2377.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/2377
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CANADIAN UNIVERSITY EARLY ADMISSION POLICIES

FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS

(Thesis Format: Monograph)

by

Waldemar P. Kruszynski

Graduate Program in Education

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Education

The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
The Western University
London, Ontario, Canada

© Waldemar P. Kruszynski 2014
Abstract
Early entrance/admission to university (i.e., between two and four years before the usual
age of admission) can provide multiple benefits for gifted and talented secondary school
students. For these students, early university entrance/admission may be a key way to
extend their intellectual capacities, capacities that they would not be able to achieve
otherwise (Gross & van Vliet, 2005). Many researchers have argued that gifted and
talented students not only show exceptional uniqueness in their extended intellectual and
cognitive potential (Noble & Childers, 2008), but also, they demonstrate enhanced
creativity and curiosity (Noble et al., 2007). Therefore, the primary problem that some
gifted and talented secondary school students face is the option of obtaining early
entrance/admission to Canadian universities. The question arises whether Canadian
universities have implemented early entrance/admission policies and procedures to
respond to such needs. This study was conducted in two phases. Phase One investigated
what early entrance/admission options are currently offered by Canadian universities. To
determine these options, the researcher examined all Canadian Universities’ websites and
invited Registrars of all Canadian universities (N=98) to participate in the study. The
researcher received 27 responses either accepting the invitation to participate in the
research (n=16) or declining it (n=11). The research revealed that most universities have
not implemented early admission policies and procedures for gifted and talented students
who would be interested in early admission. Decisions about early admissions are made
on a “case-by-case” basis which seems a satisfactory solution due to low numbers of
applicants. On the other hand, universities willingly accept such applications, and the age
of applicants is not a decisive factor as long as other standards requirements are met. In
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Phase Two, the researcher undertook a single-case study of Paolo (student’s pseudonym),
a young male, who, at the age of 16, was admitted to the University of Toronto from
where he graduated at the age of 19. The case study, like other larger-scale studies of
gifted and talented individuals, revealed that students such as Paolo may be very
successful and benefit not only academically or intellectually from university early
entrance/admission, but also, socially and emotionally. Such multifaceted developmental
benefits of early entrance/admission are also supported in the literature and presented in
this thesis.
Keywords
gifted and talented students, university early entrance/admission, early
entrance/admission policies and procedures, academic benefits, intellectual benefits,

emotional/psychological benefits, social benefits

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Acknowledgements
I would like to express the words of appreciation to Dr. Alan Edmunds who was my first
advisor and supervisor for his support and guidance. Also, I would like to acknowledge
Dr. Vicki Schwean and Dr. Pamela Bishop, my co-supervisors, for their extraordinary
support, professional advice, and numerous words of encouragement. Thank you very
much.

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Dedication
I dedicate this thesis to my whole family; first and foremost, to my wonderful wife,
Malgosia, for her unlimited patience, compassion, extraordinary support, and
omnipresent optimism without which this work could not be completed. Furthermore, I
dedicate this work to my three fantastic children: Joanna, Filip, and Weronika, for their
unconditional love and understanding in the time of the greatest challenges. I know very
well that not always I was able to be “there” for you, but I love you very much, and thank
you.

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Table of Contents

Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………….ii
Acknowledgements ….………………………………………………………………….iv
Dedication ……………………………………………………………………………….v
Table of Contents ……………………………………………………………………….vi
List of Tables ……………………………………………………………………………ix
List of Appendices ……………………………………………………………….............x
Chapter 1 …………………………………………………………………………………1

1 Introduction …………………….…………………………………………….................1

1.1 Overview of the Research Problem …………………………………………..1
1.2 Thesis Organization …………………………….…………………………….4
Chapter 2 ………………………………………………………..……………………….11

2 Literature Review …………….….…………………………………………...………..11

2.1 Definitions: Gifted and Talented ……………………………………………11

2.2 Forms of Instruction/Curriculum Modifications ……………………………21

2.3 Types of Acceleration Reasons for Specialized Programs …………...……..30

2.4 Radical Acceleration ……………………………...…………………………32

2.5 Logistical Drawbacks to Radical Acceleration ……………………………..34

2.6 Early Entrance Programs (EEPs) ……………………………………………37

2.7 Examples of EEP Centres …………………………………………………...40

2.7.1 The Halbert and Nancy Robinson Center for Young Scholars ……… 40
2.7.2 EEP Center at California State University, Los Angeles ……………..41
2.7.3 The Belin-Blank International Center for Gifted Education and
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Talent Development (B-BC) at the University of Iowa …………………….42
2.7.4 The Center for Talent Development (CTD)
at the Northwestern University…………………………………………….. 43
2.8 Developmental Benefits ……………………………………………………..44

2.8.1 Academic and Intellectual Benefits …………………………………..46

2.8.2 Social Benefits ………..………………………..………………..........47

2.8.3 Emotional Benefits ….....……………………………………………...48

2.9 Problem Statement……………..……………………………..……………...49

Chapter 3 ………………………………………………………………………………...52

3 Method ……………………….……………………………………………………......52

3.1 Phase One – Data Gathering …………..………………………………..…...53

3.2 Phase One – Data Analysis ………………………………………………….58

3.3 Phase Two – Single-Case Study Data Gathering and Analysis ……………..59

Chapter 4 ………………………………………………………………………………...64

4 Results ………………………………………………………………….……………...64

4.1 Phase One Findings ………………… …………………………………........64

4.1.1 Research Focus 1…………………………………………………..65
4.1.2 Research Focus 2…………………………………………………..67
4.1.3 Research Focus 3…………………………………………………..71
4.1.4 Research Focus 4 ………………………………………………….72
4.1.5 Research Focus 5 ……………………………………………….....73
4.2 Phase Two Findings……………………………………………...…….…….73

4.2.1 Historical Background …………………………………….………….74

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4.2.2 Findings ……………………………………………………………….77

4.3 Characteristics of Paolo - Analysis ……….…………………………………84
4.3.1 Case-Study Research Focus 1 ………………………...………………84
4.3.2 Case-Study Research Focus 2 …………………………...…………....89
4.3.3 Case-Study Research Focus 3 ………………………………………...90
4.3.4 Case-Study Research Focus 4 ………………………………….……..91
4.4 Analysis of Participant’s Peers Responses…………………………………..93
4.5 Analysis of Participant’s Professors Responses...……..…………………….94
4.6 Analysis of Participant’s Mother Responses….…………………………..…95
4.7. Paolo’s Early Admission ……………………………………………………95
4.8 Final Thoughts and Summary ……………………………….………………95
Chapter 5 ………………………………………………………………………………...97

5 Summary, Conclusions and Implications ….………………………………………….97

5.1 Summary of Methods and Procedures ………………………………………97
5.2 Summary of Findings ………………………………………………………..98
5.3 Phase One Conclusions ……...………………………………………………99
5.4 Phase Two Conclusions ……………………………………………………103
5.4.1 Paolo and Characteristics of Gifted and Talented Learners ……...103
5.5 Implications and Recommendations for the Future ………………………..106
5.6 Limitations …………………………………………………………………111
References ……………………………………………………………………………..113

Appendices …………………………………………………………………………….118

Curriculum Vitae.….…………………………………………………………………...153

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List of Tables
Table 1: Recurrent Characteristics of Students Who Are Gifted ……………………….18
Table 2: Number of Undergraduate Students in Canada by Province in ‘000s
(as per AUCC web site, May 2013…………………………………………….56
Table 3: Response Ratios by Province (as on January 1st, 2014) ………………………58
Table 4: Non-Standard Admission Options and Occurrence Frequencies
as per Canadian Universities Websites……………………………...…………...69
Table 5: Recurrent Characteristics of Students Who Are Gifted
and Paolo’s Manifestations……………………………………………………103

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