A study on the university placement system for gifted children in Turkey

Abstract

There is no special university entrance exam for gifted students in Turkey. Their only option is to complete the standard university entrance exam at the end of their final year in high school. This system of entrance exams does not benefit gifted students. Other universities around the world support such students in the following two ways: through honor programs and early college entrance systems. This paper examines these two types of programs that support gifted students, and it employs a cross-cultural comparison between Turkey and the United States, China, and Finland. Furthermore, the paper proposes a multi-step model for educating gifted students and for improving the university entrance exam process. The new type of entrance exam that we propose could be employed in Turkey to support gifted students entering university. By implementing the proposed university entrance system, gifted students will become more effective in life for themselves as well as society.