Adult education program recommendation for the social emotional problems of high-potential adults

This study aimed to obtain the opinions of the high-potential adults regarding the problems they face in the social-emotional aspect and to develop the proposal of the training programs that will support them to cope with the problems they face. In this study, high-potential adults were discussed. Due to the inadequacy of the study on high-potential adults in the literature, it was desired to contribute to the literature by choosing research on high-potential adults. This study, which employed a qualitative research method, was carried out with a total of 24 participants who were diagnosed with gifted in their childhood. 12 gifted women and 12 gifted men were included in the study. The purposeful sampling method was employed in the selection of the research sample. The Snowball sampling method benefited from reaching the study group. A semi-structured interview form was developed to be used in the interviews. During the data collection phase with the semi-structured interview form, data were obtained by preparing the appropriate questions, opinions were received from experts about the questions arranged accordingly and asking additional questions to the participant during the interview, allowing in-depth information about the subject. Before the interview, the informed consent form was sent to the participants and their permission was obtained, and the voice recording was taken with the approval. The pre-prepared interview questions made the interview flow. The interviews were analyzed by transferring them to the MAXQDA 2022 package program. The codes, sub-themes, and themes that emerged with the content analysis were explained. During the research, the experiences of gifted individuals with social and emotional problems from childhood to adulthood were examined. It has been examined by whom, when, in which areas, the positive and negative experiences that their potentials have contributed to them. According to the findings obtained from the research result, 4 themes emerged. These themes are; living with high-potential, social-emotional development processes, environmental support/effect, and support processes of the high-potential individuals. As a result of the interviews and the findings obtained, a draft program proposal consisting of 4 modules and 13 sessions was presented. Keywords: Adult Education, Social-emotional Problems, Special Ability, Program Development