The Knowledge,Volition and Action Programme in Singapore: the effects of an experimental intervention programme on high ability achievement

This study hypothesises that non‐achieving behaviour of gifted adolescents in Singapore may be attributed to a lack of knowledge, volition and action on the part of the gifted. As such, an educational intervention programme, Knowledge/Volition/Action, was devised to teach pupils knowledge of the self, volition, consultation, time management and stress management. All subjects were gifted pupils in a secondary one cohort in three premier schools hosting the Gifted Education Programme (GEP). Experimental subjects (n = 57) and control subjects (n = 57) were matched by age, gender, school, class, race, socio‐economic status, academic and non‐academic achievement before being randomly selected and randomly assigned to groups. The effects of the intervention on academic and non‐academic achievement were reported using paired t‐tests. Interestingly, the intervention programme was found to be effective in augmenting the non‐academic rather than the academic achievement of the experimental group.