Enhancing Equality in Learning Opportunity – Develop Effective School-Based Enrichment Programmes for Under-Achievers with High Ability in Low Social Economic Status (Phase 1)

Families of underprivileged students with underachievement usually do not have extra resources to support the children and develop the talent properly. The lack of support in both school and family brings an inequality to talent development of the underprivileged student. Such an inequality made underprivileged students with underachievement irreversible. Underachieving gifted students are observed to have more problematic intrapersonal traits, such as antisocial behaviors, greater social immaturity, emotional dysregulations, and higher level of self-criticism (e.g. VanBoxtel & Monks, 1992). These perceptions of insufficiency further push them towards the developmental trajectory of underachievers in general. This project therefore aims to provide equal learning opportunity for the under-achieving students with high ability in low social economic status and raise the social awareness of their educational needs. The proposed project aims (1) to provide suitable education for the children to develop their talents in school; (2) to provide an opportunity for teachers to gain insights of their students’ talents and receive guidance on their talent developments; (3) to assist Hong Kong schools to map the stronger and weaker capacities of the underprivileged students by providing training to them in the basic knowledge of education for high ability students; (4) to develop a local community of talent development experts in long run; (5) to change the perspective the general public in gifted education.

Funding Source: HK Private Fund - Charities/Foundations^^