The coping strategies and success paths of gifted students with specific learning difficulties in Hong Kong

Abstract

This study investigated the coping strategies used by Chinese gifted students with specific learning disabilities in order to overcome their learning problems. The students were all attending schools or universities in Hong Kong. The aim was to identify precisely what strategies these students used in order to meet the demands of the curriculum.

This group of students is particularly worthy of study because it is often believed that being ‘gifted’ means they will be more creative and adaptive in the strategies they devise for coping with challenges. Although specific learning difficulties usually cause major problems for other students, gifted students may tend to devise more effective strategies for surviving and prospering in their school or university-learning environments.

A qualitative narrative inquiry method was used to obtain and analyze data. Informants were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire and open discussion. The following research questions were addressed:

What coping strategies do gifted high school students with specific learning difficulties use? What factors support high school students with specific learning difficulties in their efforts to achieve? What coping strategies do successful university students or graduates with specific learning difficulties use? What are the critical elements necessary for the success of gifted students with specific learning difficulties in Hong Kong?

In Study One, three gifted high school students with specific learning difficulties were interviewed. The data indicated very clearly the frustrations that these students had experienced in some areas of their schooling. Two students had devised effective coping strategies without assistance, and one had found other ways of compensating for learning difficulties. Family and peers were found to be critical elements in providing support.

In Study Two, three informants from university were interviewed. They were all current students or graduates with specific learning difficulties who, despite their difficulties, had maintained motivation to pursue their paths to achievement. The data indicated that they developed their strategies to cope by trial and error, largely in response to adverse and unsupportive learning environments. In terms of academic demands within their courses, these students found most difficulty in organizing content and finding connections among concepts. They had to devise ways of coping with this.

In all cases, the turning point from failure to success was finding suitable opportunities to capitalize on their strengths and to avoid their weaknesses. The support of significant persons, such as parents and caring teachers, was found to be a critical element in sustaining their motivation to achieve. It was found that all informants had developed their own strategies to cope with the barriers to their learning paths. Three categories of coping strategy emerged: to by-pass, to tunnel through, or to overcome the barriers.

Implications for teaching and supporting gifted learners with learning disabilities in school and university are discussed.