Talented High School Students Research Articles

STUDENT OUTCOMES AT UNIVERSITY IN AUSTRALIA: A QUANTILE REGRESSION APPROACH*

Students’ success during their first year at university is largely influenced by their university entrance score. Personal characteristics and secondary school characteristics also impact on success. This paper uses quantile regression to investigate how the effects of these factors vary along the grade distribution. It finds that the factors which influence grades have a more pronounced impact on the success of low‐achieving students than on that of high‐achieving students. These results have implications for student selection and also for the way scholarships may be used to attract talented high school students.

‘Good Research’ Conducted by Talented High School Students: The Case of Sci-Tech

In this paper, we present SciTech, the summer international research program for talented high school students, organized in the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology [1] [1] The first author of this paper is proud of founding SciTech in 1992 when he was the head of the Harry and Lou Stern Family Science and Technology Youth Center at the Technion. Information on the various activities of the Youth Center aimed at promotion of excellence and interest in mathematics, science and technology of high school students can be found in the website of the Technion ( http://www.mechina.technion.ac.il/en/index.html ) . Our major thesis is that while taking part in scientific projects under supervision by the Technion research stuff, the high school participants in SciTech are given the opportunity to work as researchers, and not just as learners. We begin with a brief discussion of the term ‘good research.’ This is followed by a description of SciTech: we outline how students are accepted to the program and what they do in it. The main part of this paper is devoted to discussion of some, not necessarily the most successful, mathematical projects, which we had the pleasure to supervise. We conclude the paper with general observations concerning the projects, based on our experience as SciTech mentors.

Understanding resilience in diverse, talented students in an urban high school

This article summarizes findings from a 3‐year study of 35 economically disadvantaged, ethnically diverse, academically talented high school students who either achieved or underachieved in their urban high school. In particular, the resilience of these two groups of high ability students is explored. Comparative case study and ethnographic methods were used to examine the ways in which some academically talented students develop and/or employ strategies associated with resilience to achieve at high levels. Both risk factors and protective factors are examined to explore participants’ pathways toward either positive or negative outcomes. The results of this study suggest that some protective factors helped some academically talented students to achieve at high levels. The protective factors include supportive adults; friendships with other achieving students; opportunity to take honors and advanced classes; participation in multiple extracurricular activities both after school and during the summer; the development of a strong belief in self; and ways to cope with the negative aspects of their school and urban environment; and in some cases, their family lives. Other protective factors include students’ relationships with supportive adults and their previous participation in a gifted and talented program. Students who underachieved had specific risk factors, such as having older siblings who dropped out of school or became involved in drugs and/or alcohol. They also appeared to have developed fewer protective factors. The combination of the presence of risk factors and the absence of protective factors may ha ve impeded the ability of some underachieving students to achieve at higher levels.

Using Solid Modeling and Rapid Prototyping in a Mechanical Engineering Outreach Program of High School Students

In an effort to attract talented high school students to the engineering profession, Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) has developed a number of outreach programs. The most successful of these, entitled ‘Focus on the Possibilities’, allows the student to select a specific engineering discipline and experience a week-long program in their chosen area. This paper details the program developed by the Mechanical Engineering Department at MSOE to attract talented high school students to the mechanical engineering discipline. The program consists of an integrated design/build/test experience, centered around the design of a scale-model race car. The program is facilitated by two key technologies available at MSOE: solid modeling and solid freeform fabrication (rapid prototyping). Through creative use of these enabling technologies, the students are able to take the design of their racer from concept to realization and testing in the span of the week-long program.

Pushing to the edge: Rutgers astrophysics institute motivates talented high school students

AbstractThe Rutgers Astrophysics Institute is a program in which gifted high school students learn about contemporary science and its methods, and conduct independent authentic research using real‐time data. The students use the processes of science to acquire knowledge, and serve as cognitive apprentices to an expert astrophysicist. A variety of naturalistic and statistical methods were employed to gather data concerning various changes in the students as a result of their participation in the institute. Specifically, we concluded that students were able to (a) distinguish between observational data and models, devise testing experiments, and reflect on the analysis and the interpretation of X‐ray data; (b) achieve results comparable to those of regular Advanced Placement (AP) students on individual AP exam problems (the students had not taken AP Physics), (c) engage in elements of meaningful authentic research, and (d) change their approaches toward learning science. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 958–985, 2003

Teacher–student interactions and learning outcomes in a distance learning environment

This paper describes a distance learning project that enables talented high school students in geographically isolated and underdeveloped areas to participate in an introductory university course without leaving the supportive framework of their high schools. The rationale behind the project is described as well as a model in which university faculty work together with high schools in order to achieve broad educational goals. The online collection of student-related data is described, together with how this helped us to identify and solve problems experienced by high school students in a distance learning environment. The collection and implementation of teacher-related data used in order to increase the effectiveness of instruction during the course is described. Finally, some significant results of this research are presented, with a description of how they can be implemented not only to solve but also to prevent potential obstacles to effective distance learning in future projects.

The Use of Student Ratings of Teacher Behaviors With Academically Talented High School Students

The present study examined the validity of student ratings of teaching within a two-cohort sample of academically talented high school students (N = 851). Results from the 1997 cohort indicated that low-inference teaching behaviors, as rated by high school students, form factors that are similar to the factors found with college students. Further, student ratings of low-inference (i.e., observable) behaviors were significant predictors of global ratings of teaching effectiveness, whereas expected grade in a course and course workload did not contribute meaningfully to the prediction of global ratings of teaching effectiveness. Teaching behaviors and global ratings of effectiveness also did not contribute to the prediction of expected grade beyond the contribution of student ability. These findings were replicated with the 1998 cohort. Low-inference teaching behaviors may be a useful way for teachers of academically talented and regular education high school students to receive feedback on their teaching.

Summer Honors Academy: A Descriptive Analysis and Suggestions for Advising Academically Talented Students

A follow-up study of the Kansas Regents Honors Academy participants between 1987 and 1998 was conducted. The study examined characteristics of Honors Academy participants in several areas, including the number of attendees who enrolled in Regents universities, their majors, cumulative grade-point averages, degrees obtained, gender, and ethnicities. The results of this study support previous literature, indicating that Honors Academy attendees were more likely to be white females who pursued postsecondary education in the their home state and entered the fields of biological sciences, social sciences, business, engineering, English, and education. Suggestions for advising academically talented high school students are provided.

An effective mathematics and science curriculum option for secondary gifted education

Project Ga‐GEMS (Georgia's Project for Gifted Education in Math and Science) viewed the effect that placement in an integrated, hands‐on mathematics and science curriculum had on the achievement of academically talented high school students. For a two‐year period of time, students gifted in the areas of mathematics and science participated in a curriculum which incorporated higher‐level thinking skills and more real life laboratory experiences into mutually reinforcing mathematics and science lessons. After the conclusion of the two‐year program, Ga‐GEMS participants and a control group were given the mathematics and science sections of the ACT as they exited the tenth grade. The Ga‐GEMS students scored significantly higher on the Science Math Total, Pre‐Algebra/Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra/Coordinate Geometry and Plane Geometry/Trigonometry sections of the ACT. To determine if the Ga‐GEMS students retained their higher scores throughout high school the SAT scores of both groups were compared as the students exited high school. Significant differences in the areas of total score and mathematics were noted. This study lends support for the use of a differentiated curriculum for educating gifted students in science and mathematics.

Economically Disadvantaged Urban Female Students Who Achieve in Schools.

Recently, researchers at the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented completed a three-year study of thirty-five economically disadvantaged, ethnically diverse, talented high school students who either achieved or underachieved in their urban high school. In this article, the results are discussed of the case study analysis of nine high-achieving female students who participated in the larger three-year study. Qualitative methods were used to examine the perceptions of students, teachers, and administrators about the reasons that some academically talented students achieve at high levels. Female students who achieved in school acknowledged the importance of being grouped together in honors and advanced classes for academically talented students, and of receiving support and encouragement from each other and from supportive adults, including teachers, guidance counselors, coaches, and mentors. Females who achieved in school participated in multiple extracurricular activities both after school and during the summer. Most high-achieving females in this study chose not to date in order to be able to concentrate their energies on their studies. They also had a strong belief in self and were resilient about negative aspects of their families and their environment. Although parents of students in this study cared deeply about their children, their involvement in their children's high school education was minimal.

Gender-related worry and emotionality test anxiety for high-achieving students

Test anxiety among academically talented high school students (N = 103) was explored in this study. Two components of test anxiety were assessed: a cognitive component (worry) and a physiological component (emotionality). The results indicated that these students suffered from test anxiety, and that higher anxiety was related to lower science performance. Overall, females reported more test anxiety than did males. Whereas females experienced higher worry than emotionality, males reported little difference between the two anxiety components. Implications for college-bound students are discussed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Which Kids Can "Become" Scientists? Effects of Gender, Self-Concepts, and Perceptions of Scientists

Science, mathematics, and engineering (SME) disciplines lose potential female professionals as women move to other educational and career paths at higher rates than men. Also, the remaining women tend to cluster into particular fields. I frame these trends as identity-acquisition issues. Using identity theory, I examine links between gender, self-concepts, and perceptions of scientific others, focusing on how these contribute to students' SME interests and the resulting educational trajectories. The sample of 433 talented high school students was drawn from 10 SME summer programs conducted in 1995 and 1996. The students' interests follow common patterns by gender; identity theory helps to explain why. Key findings are as follows: (1) On average, girls' self-concepts are more like their perceptions of same-sex others than those of boys, and more unlike their perceptions of other science students. (2) Discrepancies between self-concepts and perceptions of those in science-related disciplines are associated with lower interest in those disciplines. (3) Discrepancies explain some differences, by sex, in interests.

Gender‐related worry and emotionality test anxiety for high‐achieving students

Test anxiety among academically talented high school students (N = 103) was explored in this study. Two components of test anxiety were assessed: a cognitive component (worry) and a physiological component (emotionality). The results indicated that these students suffered from test anxiety, and that higher anxiety was related to lower science performance. Overall, females reported more test anxiety than did males. Whereas females experienced higher worry than emotionality, males reported little difference between the two anxiety components. Implications for college-bound students are discussed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Project SEED celebrates 25 years of student aid

Opening doors and fulfilling dreams was the theme as the American Chemical Society celebrated the 25th anniversary of its social action program, Project SEED, at its meeting last week. Project SEED (Summer Educational Experience for the Disadvantaged) gives talented high school students from lowincome families the opportunity to spend eight to 10 weeks during the summer conducting research in academic, industrial, and government laboratories. Almost 4000 students have participated. Students work under the supervision of research scientists and receive an educational award of $1500 at the end of the summer. The funds for these awards come from contributions by ACS members, corporations, and foundations, and from an endowment established by the Campaign for Chemistry. Project SEED's founding was spearheaded by former ACS president Alan Nixon and the ACS California Section. In 1968, Nixon urged ACS to become involved in what has become the society's only social action program. Speaking at the anniversary s...

Undivided interest and the growth of talent: A longitudinal study of adolescents

Based on theoretical considerations drawn from John Dewey and others, and using the Experience Sampling Method to longitudinally investigate a group of talented high school students,undivided interest was operationalized as times when the students felt above average spontaneous interest (i.e., excitement, openness, and involvement) while also reporting above average goal-directed interest (i.e., that their task was important to their goals). Results showed that after adjusting for the effects of family background, scholastic aptitude, and other individual differences, undivided interest while doing talent-related activities was positively correlated with independent assessments of talent area performance three years later: the level of mastery students achieved as indicated by their school records, the ratings students received from their talent area teachers, and the students' assessments of their own level of engagement. Highly engaged students reported over twice as much undivided interest in comparison to a group of disengaged students, who reported more divided interest (i.e., more of what Dewey referred to as “fooling”—high spontaneous involvement with no goal direction; and more “drudgery”—low spontaneous involvement and high goal direction). These findings held regardless of whether the teenagers were talented in math, science, music, or art. The implications of the study are discussed in terms of contemporary theories of attention and cognitive development, as well as unproductive educational philosophies that pit these important dimensions of experience against each other.

Motivation and Academic Achievement: The Effects of Personality Traits and the duality of Experience

The present study examined the relationship of personality, experience while studying, and academic performance. One hundred and seventy talented high-school students (68 males, 102 females) completed the Personality Research Form (PRF) and recorded their experience via the Experience Sampling Method (ESM). The results showed that controlling for ability, work orientation, a PRF factor, was a better predictor of grade than experience. However, an experiential variable,intrinsic motivation while studying, was related to the difficulty level of courses students took over the 4 years of high school. The results supported the notion that there are two kinds of motivation in scholastic achievement, one directed toward long-term goals, the other directed toward ongoing experience.

Measure, topology, and fractal geometry

* Bridges the gap between traditional books on topology/analysis and more specialized treatises on fractal geometry * Contains plenty of examples, exercises, and illustrations * Ideal for classroom use with a self-contained and careful presentation For the Second Edition of this highly regarded textbook, Gerald Edgar has made numerous additions and changes, in an attempt to provide a clearer and more focused exposition. most important addition is an increased emphasis on the packing measure, so that now it is often treated on a par with the Hausdorff measure. topological dimensions were rearranged for Chapter 3, so that the covering dimension is the major one, and the inductive dimensions are the variants. A reduced cover class notion was introduced to help in proofs for Method I or Method II measures. Research results since 1990 that affect these elementary topics have been taken into account. Some examples have been added, including Barnsley leaf and Julia set, and most of the figures have been re-drawn. From reviews of the First Edition: ...there has been a deluge of books, articles and television programmes about the beautiful mathematical objects, drawn by computers using recursive or iterative algorithms, which Mandelbrot christened fractals. Gerald Edgar's book is a significant addition to this deluge. Based on a course given to talented high-school students at Ohio University in 1988, it is, in fact, an advanced undergraduate textbook about the mathematics of fractal geometry, treating such topics as metric spaces, measure theory, dimension theory, and even some algebraic topology...the book also contains many good illustrations of fractals... - Mathematics Teaching The book can be recommended to students who seriously want to know about the mathematical foundation of fractals, and to lecturers who want to illustrate a standard course in metric topology by interesting examples. - Christoph Bandt, Mathematical Reviews ...not only intended to fit mathematics students who wish to learn fractal geometry from its beginning but also students in computer science who are interested in the subject. [For such students] the author gives the required topics from metric topology and measure theory on an elementary level. book is written in a very clear style and contains a lot of exercises which should be worked out. - H.Haase, Zentralblatt

A graduate research model for talented high-school students

First Page

Spectroscopy: An introduction for talented high school students

Spectroscopy has been used as a unifying theme to teach basic chemical principles and laboratory skills to talented high school students.

Are high school students ready for recombinant DNA?: The UOP experience

What follows is a description of a three-week summer course on recombinant DNA offered to talented high school students between their junior and senior years.