EXPLORATION OF THE ACADEMIC DECISIONS OF HIGHLY ABLE STUDENTS

Gomez-Arizaga, Maria Paz; Navarro, Marianela; Roa-Tampe, Karin; Conejeros-Solar, María Leonor; Martin, Annjeanette; Rivera-Lino, Bárbara; Valdivia-Lefort, Marieta; Castillo-Hermosilla, Hernán

doi:10.1590/198053147054

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ARTICLES • Cad. Pesqui. 50 (178) • Oct-Dec 2020 • https://doi.org/10.1590/198053147054 copy

EXPLORATION OF THE ACADEMIC DECISIONS OF HIGHLY ABLE STUDENTS

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

The choice of career for students with high ability (HA) is not without its difficulties. In STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), women with HA do not choose such areas in the same proportion as men. We sought to understand how contextual factors influence the academic decisions of HA students. In this qualitative study, eight focus groups with students with HA and interests in STEM were conducted. The results show parents as role models; however, fathers’ messages can be threatening for female students. Results also show that teachers inspire and provide clear guidance based on skills, rather than on real challenge, and that school activities allow direct experience of discipline, but produce little linkage to real areas of interest.

GENDER RELATIONS; HIGH ABILITY STUDENTS; STEM

	Profile	Male	Female	Total
Group 1	Students from the Valparaíso or Araucanía regions who, in addition to attending their regular schools, participate in a curricular enrichment programme for high ability students. They come mainly from municipal schools (90%).	10	10	20
Group 2	Students from Santiago who attend paid private schools and offer the Humanistic-Scientific tracks. These schools serve children from a high socioeconomic status group (SES), (i.e., mothers have, on average, 16 years of schooling, while fathers have 17, the average household income is $1,792,707 pesos ($2,500 USD) and the school has 1% of vulnerable children) (CHILE, 2012).	10	8	18
Group 3	Students from the Metropolitan Region who attend subsidised public schools that offer the Humanistic-Scientific tracks. These schools serve children with medium-high SES, (i.e., parents have, on average, 14 years of schooling, an average household income of $698,960 pesos ($980 USD) and 24% of a school’s population are vulnerable children) (CHILE, 2012).	3	0	3
Group 4	Students from the Metropolitan Region who attend subsidised schools that offer the Technical-Vocational tracks and who are part of a Catholic foundation. These schools serve children with low SES, (i.e., parents have, on average, eight years of schooling, an average household income of $151,349 pesos ($210 USD) and 88% of the school’s population are vulnerable children) (CHILE, 2012).	11	9	20
Total		34	27	61

	Prompt	Guiding questions
Section 1	We would like to lead you to think about the process of choosing your specialised track in your school. To do this, we would like you to think about people, situations, events or activities that have influenced you in the last two years and write each one down on a piece of paper. Now we would like you to rank these people or activities, putting a 1 on the most influential, and continuing to the least influential.	What or who did you write down? Why did they influence you in this way? Can you give examples?
Section 2	Now that we have talked about the election processes, we would like you to tell us briefly what track you chose or plan to choose and explain what options there are at your school.
Section 3	In the specialised track that I chose (or will choose) My performance will be... About these subjects (from the specialised track) I am concerned about... About these subjects (from the specialised track) I am enthusiastic... The specialised track I chose (or will choose) will help me to...	Why?

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[1] TRANSLATED BY Francis Augustine Cormick^IX