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UBC Theses and Dissertations

After transition : life outcomes after radical acceleration Lin, Rachel (Rou Chen)

Abstract

Radical acceleration is a unique educational tool that has been used for profoundly gifted students. Insights into formalized radical acceleration high school programs that result in early entry to university are limited in the extant literature because these programs are also limited in implementation. Partnered with the University of British Columbia, the University Transition Program (UTP) is a radical acceleration program that supports profoundly gifted students to complete a traditional five-year high school program in two years. These radical accelerands matriculate into university as young as 14-15 years old. Through surveying the UTP alumni, this study aimed to investigate the research questions: What are radical accelerands’ experiences of and retrospective reflections on radical acceleration? How has radical acceleration impacted these accelerands’ life outcomes? Results from a retrospective survey questionnaire revealed that alumni had diverse opinions surrounding their academic, socioemotional, and vocational preparedness and satisfaction as accelerands and early entrants to university. There were also indications that these experiences may differ based on prior educational history and biological sex. The findings from this study explore the holistic needs and desires of accelerands and early entrance, which serves to inform future implementation of radical acceleration in the most optimal way for students to thrive in their postsecondary years and beyond.

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International