Academic, emotional, and social experiences of gifted and non-gifted high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic

The focus of this mixed-methods study was to compare the experiences of gifted (n = 705) and non-gifted high school students (n = 341) during emergency remote education associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that both groups assessed emergency remote learning as less adequate, and judged that their general mood, well-being, and learning were worse than before the pandemic. They reported feeling more distress. MANOVA analysis revealed statistically significant differences between the two groups, but these differences were not practically important. Significant gender differences emerged, particularly in the experience of negative emotions, which were more pronounced in girls. The interaction between giftedness and gender was not statistically significant. Several positive and negative aspects of emergency remote education were identified. The findings indicate that gifted and non-gifted students experienced emergency remote education and the pandemic similarly, which suggests that professionals could plan the same post-pandemic intervention strategies to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic effects for both groups.