Purpose: In distinguishing the education of adults from the education of children, a gray area lies on where to classify gifted and honors students. The purpose of this study was to determine if the attitudes of students at an honors STEM summer camp paralleled the educational needs of adults, namely self-directed learning. Design/methodology/approach: Researchers analyzed survey responses through an exploratory factor analysis and five t tests. Findings: The interpretation of the effect sizes showed that after engaging in a self-directed learning experience, students expressed more positive self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation, experienced reduced extrinsic motivation and anxiety, and were less task-completion oriented. Originality/value: The results suggest that gifted and honors students may have a propensity to learn that is more similar to that of adults rather than their same-age peers.