Honors Students’ Experiences and Coping Strategies for Waiting Time in Secondary School and at University

This exploratory study investigated the perceived waiting time of gifted high-achieving honors students at their university and compares this to the perceived waiting time these students experienced in secondary schools. The study aimed to find reasons for, experiences with, and coping strategies for waiting time in classes at these two types of institutions. Interviews with gifted university students were conducted and qualitatively analyzed. Results show that waiting in classes is common both in secondary schools and at the university level, and students usually attribute this to poor quality of teaching. However, students also highlighted differences in the amount of time, reasons, and coping strategies for waiting due to the different nature of the institution types. Experiences of waiting depended on a variety of reasons outlined by students participating in our study. According to this, students preferred behavioral-avoidance strategies for coping in waiting situations. They rarely asked their teachers for extra tasks, even if they felt bored or underchallenged. This highlights the importance for teachers to recognize and respond to coping strategies of gifted students.