Development of Diverse Research Innovative Mind-Set (Drims) Through Compacting and Holistic Curriculum among Malaysian Gifted Learners

Abstract

Innumerable education researchers around the world have shifted their focus to study the development of gifted and talented (GT) students in a country. GT population is seen as a human capital that will drive the excellence to be future world leaders, thinkers, researchers, and innovators. In the Malaysian context, GT is seen as an invaluable national asset that will mobilize the country’s future economic development. The aim of this study is to develop a diverse research innovative mind-set through compacting and holistic curriculum among gifted learners in Malaysia. Preparing GT students with research innovative mind-set is crucial to enable them to compete in the global world, especially in the field of high-end technology. This is in line with Malaysia's urgent need to face developments in the fourth industrial revolution. The novelty of this study was found in the development of Compacting and Holistic Identity Curriculum Models for GT students. The transformation from gifted to a talented individual was developed through the process of honing intelligence that was done through a structured and systematic curriculum approach which can be replicated to any gifted and highly able students’ program. Flexible and cross-cutting curriculum concepts help to support the achievement of holistic excellence; a balance of academic and wholesome personality development that is in line with the National Education Philosophy. GENIUS@Pintar Negara, UKM provides a comprehensive educational program for Malaysian GT students aged 11 to 17 years old since 2011. The GT students, considered as individual thinkers and natural problem solvers are exposed to a Compacting Curriculum with the emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Research. Since 2011, a total of 1200 GT students have undergone a challenging compacted curriculum and successfully contributed to a paradigm shift from the mediocre-minded to the great-minded researchers and inventors. The success of this compacting curriculum is proven through students’ involvement in various fields of research and innovation competitions, both at national and international levels. Next, to produce GT students who are "humble", the compacting curriculum is combined with the integration of holistic-identity curriculum, emphasizing on the elements of Intellectual-identity (Ii), Emotional-identity (Ei), Physical-identity (Pi), Social-identity (Si), Spiritual-identity (Sp-i), Leadership identity (Li), Citizenship-identity (Ci) and Adversity-identity (Ai). The advantage of this integration model of the compacting and holistic-identity curriculum is the flexible approach considering interest-based learning resulted in a self-research-innovative mind-set (SRIM) among GT students with a wholesome personality based on the National Education Philosophy. GLOCAL's approach (comprising of global thinkers with local values practices) in developing Gifted Malaysian students will produce young diverse Malaysian researchers and innovators among GT students with humanitarian characteristics that will benefit future society and the global world with a new discovery and cutting-edge research.