Gifted Dropouts: Phenomenological Case Studies of Rural Gifted Students

In this qualitative phenomenological study, we sought to explore the life experiences of 7 rural gifted individuals who dropped out of school. In addition, we investigated whether participants shared commonalities that might have led to the phenomenon of dropping out. The problem was that a paucity of research exists about gifted dropouts; subsequently, no one had asked our participants to share their stories prior to the present study. By searching for meaning in their individual and combined stories, we uncovered two overarching themes related to their decisions to drop out: the Influence of Relationships (with the subthemes, relational traumas, and relational losses) and the Influence of Teachers. Within the subthemes, we noted data not previously reported in other literature or research on gifted dropouts. Specifically, all of our gifted dropouts experienced a relational trauma in middle school that affected later learning experiences, and may have been the catalyst to their later decision. By focusing on their progressively declining interest in school through the lens of relationships, we noted new data that added to existing literature.