Over the past decade of my academic career, I have increasingly noticed the gap between K-12 gifted education and honors college education as my research has forced me to straddle the two areas. My doctoral education at Ball State University included a specialization in gifted studies, which was a natural fit with my own interests in creative…

The purpose of launching honors programs in Azerbaijan was not only to introduce advanced academic programs but also to change the culture in the universities: to make students more socially active, to encourage them to participate in international competitions, and continue their education. Keeping these goals in mind, we evaluate honors programs…

Beginning in 2013 and spanning four research articles, we have implemented an empirical analysis protocol for honors education that is rooted in demography (Scott; Scott and Smith; Smith and Scott "Growth"; Smith and Scott, "Demography"). The goal of this protocol is to describe the structure and distribution of the honors…

High-ability entering college students give three main reasons for not choosing to become part of honors programs and colleges; they and/or their parents believe that honors classes at the university level require more work than non-honors courses, are more stressful, and will adversely affect their self-image and grade point average (GPA) (Hill;…

Learning to write well is a significant outcome of higher education, as confirmed and illustrated in the Written Communication VALUE Rubric of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Scholars agree that writing and thinking are linked. Thinking about this relationship between writing and thinking in the context of…

Supporters of university honors programs argue that these programs benefit the university and entire student body while critics argue that honors programs reproduce socioeconomic and racial privileges. In an attempt to address these issues, researchers used quantitative survey data to compare the background characteristics, behaviors, and…

The transition to an institution of higher education can present challenges and difficulties, but it is a student's expectations that can ultimately predict adjustment (Jackson, Pancer, Pratt, & Hunsberger, 2000). A larger number of students who experience difficulties in their adjustment end up withdrawing from the institution (Baker…

This study gathered, analyzed, and compared perspectives of students who were honors-eligible but never began the program, students who began in honors and discontinued their enrollment, and those who were persisting in honors. Broadly speaking (and not surprisingly), the responses of students persisting in honors reflected the most positive…

Although universities aim to challenge high-ability students to develop their talents to the full, the question of how to create such challenges remains unanswered. In this study, we examined six different honors courses to discover which factors in the learning environment specifically designed for high-ability students challenged these students…

The focus of this research is to evaluate the relationship between advanced high school science courses and college outcomes, with a focus on the benefit of Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) participation and performance in comparison to other high school options (e.g., dual enrollment, honors, and regular science high school courses). Although…

The number of students who become completers of an honors program on college campuses is low. A mixed methods approach was utilized to determine the perceptions of gifted students regarding an honors program at a private, Southeastern university. Students who were honors program participants, honors program drop-outs, and qualified…

This essay is an updated revision of an essay published by Marca V. C. Wolfensberger in the "Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council" 5.2 (fall/winter 2004): 55-66. A lot has changed in the Dutch honours landscape since the original version of the study was published. Although the body of knowledge is increasing, the insight…

This study explores the association of students' self-perceived critical thinking ability with participation in Residential Honors living-learning programs versus Civic/Social Leadership living-learning programs and non-participation in living-learning programs. The study analyzes data from the 2004 National Study of Living-Learning Programs…

Students from four academic status groups, four class standing groups, and both sexes completed a survey of problems related to academic performance. Significant differences were found between status and class groups and sexes on the kinds of problems reported and between status groups on the total problems reported. (Author/RC)

The impact of a departmental honors program in psychology was evaluated at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Attention was focused on the impact of the introductory honors course on students' academic performance and adjustment. Students were selected for the honors program based on predicted grade point average, which was based on four…