Being a Gifted Student at University: Significance, Challenges, and Opportunities from a Pioneering Experience in Chile

Abstract

Educational attention to Intellectual Giftedness (IG) has historically been concentrated in childhood and adolescence, both in research and in the development of public policy. In contrast, their presence and needs in Higher Education have received limited attention, contributing to making this population invisible within the university context. This situation becomes particularly relevant when considering that a significant proportion of university students may present high abilities without having been identified or having received specific support throughout their educational trajectories. Moreover, in the Latin American context, and particularly in Chile, research on university students with IG remains scarce, as do institutional initiatives aimed at their recognition and support.

Within this context, the present study seeks to understand how university students with high abilities make meaning of their educational experiences and re-signify their identities through their participation in a pioneering support program implemented at a Chilean university. Specifically, the study explores three central dimensions: the re-signification of educational trajectories in light of the recognition of IG, the challenges these students face in their university experience, and the opportunities that emerge from the institutional recognition of their abilities.

To address this objective, a qualitative study with a phenomenological approach was conducted, aimed at understanding the meanings that students themselves attribute to their experiences. The sample consisted of 16 university students belonging to the Núcleo Program at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews and a focus group, allowing for the exploration of both personal experiences and shared meanings among participants. Subsequently, the data were analyzed through thematic analysis.

The findings show that the university experience of students with IG is characterized by a combination of strengths and tensions. Among the strengths, participants highlight autonomous learning, intrinsic motivation for knowledge, and the ability to integrate and understand complex content with ease. However, several challenges associated with their educational experience also emerge, such as high levels of self-demand, lack of interest in learning perceived as insufficiently challenging, difficulties with academic discipline, and tensions in the construction of personal and academic identity. Likewise, several participants reported having felt different from their peers throughout their educational trajectories.

A relevant finding of the study is that the institutional recognition of high abilities, through participation in the university program, promotes processes of re-signifying educational trajectories and reconstructing identity. For many students, late identification allowed them to reinterpret previous experiences of mismatch, misunderstanding, or lack of challenge, providing new meaning through the understanding of their cognitive and socio-emotional characteristics. In addition, the program is valued as a space for meeting peers with similar interests, for educational enrichment, and for personal validation.

Overall, the findings highlight the need to advance toward university policies and practices that recognize the cognitive diversity of the student body and integrate support for students with high abilities within the frameworks of inclusive education.