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Student Experiences of an Out of School Academic Enrichment Programme for High Ability Students Transitioning from DEIS Primary Schools to DEIS Secondary Schools
註釋This study focuses on the creation and the first three cycles of the Lifelong Educational Achievement Partnership (LEAP) programme, designed to address a gap in provision for high ability students attending designated socioeconomically disadvantaged schools in the area surrounding Dublin City University (DCU). This dissertation documents the development of an action research project from the initial reflection on this gap in provision, through the planning of an appropriate intervention to the act of initiating the programme and the observation of its impact on students and on to further reflection, planning, action and observation across three years (July 2016- March 2019). The LEAP programme offered students a sustained commitment through their transition from primary to secondary school. This took the form of four terms of academic enrichment classes on a variety of subjects from journalism to forensic science to mathematics. It also offered a bridge for students to transition into the Centre for Talented Youth, Ireland's (CTYI) secondary school programme, extending the commitment beyond the programme itself. The research focussed on giving students, as well as their parents and teachers, a chance to articulate their experiences of the LEAP programme through questionnaires and group interviews. Through a constant comparative coding approach, three key themes were identified in these data. The first of these, Impact of Programme, outlined the perceived academic, social and personal benefits students took from the programme. The second, Love of Learning, explored the passion for learning voiced by students throughout their participation on the programme. The final theme, Programme Design, considered key elements of the structure of the programme and how they related to students' experiences of it. Overall, the research conducted for this study presents a successful intervention for an underserved population, one which offers important new knowledge about providing for this cohort. More importantly, as an action it has successfully effected positive change within participants' lives.