The Extent, Nature and Effectiveness of Planned Approaches in ...

have significant but varying positive effects upon students’ academic achievement (overall effect sizeof .65), critical thinking (overall effect size of .44), and creative thinking (overall effect size of .32).They also found that pull-out programmes did not appear to have negative effects on self-concept(overall effect size of .11). It is important to note that the moderately positive effects uponachievement and critical thinking are contingent upon the emphasis placed upon these in pull-outprogrammes. Furthermore, Rogers (2002a) reports that the greatest gains in achievement occur whenthe pull-out programme is an extension of the regular classroom curriculum.Winner (1996b) comments on the modest gains in achievement which result from pull-outprogrammes, stating that “probably students of any ability level would benefit from the kinds of openended,project-based learning that goes on” (p. 44), emphasising that none of the studies to date haveproven otherwise. She purports that the studies compared gifted students in pull-out programmes withsimilarly gifted students not in such programmes, and these two groups were not randomly assigned.“Only with random assignment can we be sure that gains experienced by the children in the pull-outgroup are due to the programmes, and not to pre-existing differences between the two groups ofchildren” (Winner, 1996a, p. 262). However, as Reid (1996) points out, research of this nature createsethical dilemmas, and perhaps for that reason, the type of research Winner calls for has not beencarried out.Another factor to consider in relation to the modest gains in achievement is the relationship betweenthe nature of pull-out programmes and the measures of achievement utilised in studies ofeffectiveness. Kulik (2003) comments that such modest gains are in fact quite remarkable given thatmost programmes “…do not ordinarily provide more work on the basic skills … However, thestandardised achievement tests used to evaluate the effects of most enrichment programs stress basicskills” (p. 275).Moon et al. (1994) conducted a study to investigate the long-term effects of a pull-out programmewhich used the Purdue Three-Stage Model as a framework. Their study found that gifted and talentedstudents perceived benefits by way of enhanced creative and critical-thinking skills, problem solvingskills, and motivation to pursue their own goals, and, furthermore, that these attitudes and skills weretransferable to other learning situations. The students also reported enjoyment of the variety and paceof enriched learning activities. Some students indicated short-term or mild effects associated withmissed instruction. However, they further report that in regard to self-concept, the research findingsare mixed, with some research indicating neutral or positive effects and others reporting negativeeffects. They conclude that pull-out programmes “can have positive effects on both cognitive andaffective development if the curriculum is differentiated to match the needs of gifted learners” (Moonet al., 1994).Delcourt et al. (1994) report research which examined the outcomes for primary age students in pulloutprogrammes which did offer the differentiation Moon and his colleagues describe. They describepull-out programmes which consisted of units of study normally not found in the ‘regular curriculum’and with a scientific orientation. Further, these programmes placed strong emphasis uponindividualised pursuit of investigative study. They concluded that students in these programmesdemonstrated higher academic achievement than their gifted peers who were not involved, especiallyin the areas of reading comprehension, science, and social studies, yet lower achievement inmathematics. Furthermore, the perceived social acceptance of the students was not negatively affectedby their participation in the pull-out programmes, in fact, it was greater than that of gifted students inseparate classes and special schools.Moon and Feldhusen (1993) conducted a small-scale longitudinal study which investigated theaccomplishments and future plans of secondary students who had participated in an enrichment pulloutprogramme during primary school. This exploratory qualitative investigation revealed that for themost part, the gifted students showed evidence of high ability, creativity, and accomplishment duringtheir secondary education. The participating students also had moderate to high educational and careergoals. The researchers concluded, “The study provides support for the belief that there is a relationship95