Development and Implementation of Online Mentoring Program for Gifted in Science and Mathematics: Focusing on Lower Elementary Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and implement an online mentoring program for gifted in science lower elementary students. The process of program development followed ADDIE(Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) which is a systematic instructional design model. The subjects of this study were 15 lower elementary students(1st and 2nd graders), and selected based on their dynamic assessment evaluation on science and math performance. During the mentoring program, the students participated in various online science and math activities with mentors who were students in a university of education. The mentors had to participated in pre-training sessions on scientific and mathematical concepts, hands-on activities, and general understanding of gifted students in science and mathematics. Since the program was designed to be a flipped learning, the participants had read stories in science- or mathematics-themed books before the online programs. Then, during the online sessions, the participants engaged in hands-on activities related to the stories that they had read in advance. The college mentors provided instructional guides to the conceptual understanding as well as hands-on activities. After the program, the online survey on students’ improvement and program satisfaction was conducted with mentors and parents of the participants, in order to verify effectiveness of the program. The participating students were able to engage in the program without difficulty, and the expected effects of the program were observed. In conclusion, it is expected that online mentoring programs for gifted students in early childhood would be developed variously and appropriately.