Overseas Service Trips and the Gifted Experience: An Autoethnographic Study

Overseas service trips are commonly viewed as unique learning experiences for high school students; however, research suggests that they are rarely designed in consideration of gifted learners. This field research, conducted during a service trip to Cambodia, had the objective of identifying factors that may align with gifted learning in order to maximize learning outcomes. Employing grounded theory, autoethnographic methodology, and multiple data sources coding occurred using the constant comparative method, with six themes of interest emerging: immersion, social connection, challenging personal views, contrasting facts with experience, appreciating curiosity, and introducing unexpected situations.