Beyond the curriculum: effects of an enrichment program on high-ability university students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4151/07189729-Vol.65-Iss.1-Art.1817Keywords:
High abilities university students intervention programs creativity study habitsAbstract
Attention to gifted students in the university context is a nascent field of study, which has led to a limited availability of educational proposals tailored to their characteristics and needs. As a result, higher education still faces significant challenges in creating conditions that favor the full development of this population. Given this situation, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of the INGENIOUS program, an extracurricular enrichment proposal aimed at highly gifted university students, designed to enhance their talents and personal well-being through formative and enriching experiences. The program was implemented in a public higher education institution in Mexico, with the participation of 87 students identified as gifted, of whom 46 formed the experimental group and 41 the control group. Standardized instruments were used for evaluation: the CREA Creative Intelligence Test (Corbalán et al., 2003) and the Study Habits Inventory (IHE; Fernández, 2014), in addition to ad hoc instruments designed to assess the fulfillment of expectations and participant satisfaction. The methodological approach was mixed. To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, a split-plot ANOVA analysis was applied to identify intra- and intergroup changes in creativity and study habits. Effectiveness was evaluated using Student's t-test for paired samples, analyzing the fulfillment of expectations in three dimensions: personal, academic, and social. Frequencies were also calculated to assess satisfaction with the workshops, and a phenomenological discourse analysis was performed to interpret the participants' verbalizations.
The quantitative results showed significant effects on creativity in the experimental group compared to the control group. In terms of study habits, significant differences were observed in the interaction in all dimensions: “Study environment conditions,” “Study planning,” “Use of materials,” and “Content assimilation.” Regarding effectiveness, significant improvements were identified in the three dimensions of expectation fulfillment in the experimental group, along with a positive assessment of satisfaction with the program.
The qualitative analysis identified six thematic categories: 1) gradual impact and progressive growth, 2) personal and professional development, 3) positive assessment of the program, 4) acquisition of new knowledge, 5) reflections on the experience, and 6) fulfillment of expectations.
Overall, the findings support the efficacy and effectiveness of the INGENIOUS program, as well as providing empirical evidence of the need for universities to design and implement specific proposals that respond to the characteristics and demands of gifted students.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Juan Francisco Flores Bravo, María de los Dolores Valadez Sierra , Elena Rodríguez-Naveiras, África Borges
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