Enrichment Seminar and the Socio-Emotional Needs of Adolescents

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore gifted alumni perceptions of how participating in an Enrichment Seminar course met their socio-emotional needs as they relate to identity formation, and whether or not their academic achievement was influenced. The researcher used interviews, narrative questions, and surveys to gather data. The sample consisted of 30 participants who were surveyed using The Gifted Program Evaluation survey, which included narrative questions. The interview sample came from the population of 30, and included 15 participants. The participants for this study were from both genders, between the ages of 19 and 23 years old, and were of various ethnicities. The results reflect that participants perceived the Enrichment Seminar positively influenced their identity formation through self-knowledge provided by the curriculum, and relationship building. The participants also perceived that participation in the Enrichment Seminar course positively influenced their academic achievement through college and career preparation