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

hundred and sixteen of these Olympiad winners completed, or were in the process of completing,doctoral degrees, and most were in academic careers. These highly gifted students may well havesucceeded with or without competitions; however, when the Olympians and their parents were asked:• 76% of the Olympians and 70% of their parents expressed the view that they would not haveaccomplished as much without the programmes;• 76% of the Olympiads and 74% of their parents felt that the programmes helped, rather thanhindered, their talent; and• 76% of the Olympiads and 83% of their parents reported that the programmes increased theirawareness of educational opportunities.The ‘proof in the pudding’ is in the comments made by Olympians about their experiences:“confirmation of my abilities;” “realization I had potential;” “a more objective indication of mytalent;” and “First indication I had of how good I really was” (p. 533). The researchers conclude,“Even if participants do not win the contest, these newly developed skills will prove very useful. Inthis sense there may be no ‘losers’ …” (p. 534).National perspectives. During the summer of 1991-1992, Curran, Holton, Marshall, and Hair surveyedstudents who had participated in the mathematics camps organised by the New Zealand MathematicsOlympiad Committee (NZMOC) and their parents. The survey probed several areas of interest, butthis discussion will focus upon the findings in relation to parental and student views of competition.From the 51 parental and 49 student responses received, a dozen parents and some students reportedthat the opportunity for peer interaction and competition during the NZMOC camps were motivating.The researchers report that the stimulation extended beyond mathematics, and included discussionsover abstract concepts, heated debates, and social freedom to be themselves. Curran et al. (1991/2)make a salient point in regard to competition in stating, “It is worth noting that competition is seenhere as a positive motivating factor. The students are competing with their peers against amathematical problem” (p. 23). Their point is that the students in a team situation are not competingagainst one another, but against a problem which ultimately one person will solve but only as a resultof team effort.Fletcher (1995) reports the results of a similar study conducted with students who participated in theInternational Chemistry Olympiad (IChO). Sixteen students who attended the 1994 study camp wereinterviewed to gain their perceptions of the effects of the programme upon them personally, and inrelation to their knowledge and interest in chemistry and their study habits. The students respondedfavourably, indicating that from a personal perspective the greatest gains were in having theopportunity to interact with peers of similar ability. As one student commented, “it was good to meetother people with similar interests who don’t think you’re strange to spend a week of your holidaysstudying chemistry” (Fletcher, 1995, no page given). The students also indicated that theirparticipation enhanced their study skills and work habits, as well as their understandings and interestsin chemistry.Potential Strengths• Student satisfaction is achieved through goal-setting and management (Riley & Karnes,1998/99).• Potential for the enhancement of student’s self-directed learning skills; sense of autonomy;cooperative team work skills; content, process, and product development; and personal andinterpersonal understandings (Riley & Karnes, 1998/99).• A celebration of the abilities and skills of gifted and talented students (Davis & Rimm, 1998;Riley & Karnes, 1998/99), which can raise the public profile of gifted and talented studentsand their educational programmes (Riley & Karnes, 1999).115