• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.123-139
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• 2011

The research paid attention to the fact that top 10% high achievers of girls in high schools are not equally provided with opportunities for science gifted education in Korea. For this reason, the research examined gender differences in science achievement and science affective domain through employing PISA 2006 science achievement test and survey of science affective domains. The research subjects of 132 students as top 10% high achievers extracted from those 1,409 students who were nationwidely sampled and responded to the science achievement test and science affective domain survey in July 2008. The responses by 132 students of top 10% high achievers were analyzed. The findings revealed that there is no significant difference of science achievement and most items of science affective domain survey between girls and boys of top 10% population in high schools. Further, it was indicated that top 10% high achieving girls have interest, self-concept, self-efficacy, future job aspiration in science as high as boys. In conclusions, further attentions to provide more opportunities of science gifted education for girls are called for.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.631-658
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• 2011

The impact of the academic achievements of science high school graduates during the science high school period on their creative productivity, higher education, occupation, and income were investigated with 244 science high school graduates who belonged either to top 30% or bottom 30% in terms of their high school GPA. The factors contributed to the choice of current occupations and life were also investigated through retrospective approach. Survey questionnaire was administered to 244 adults who graduated from 18 science high schools before 2001. Thirteen graduates who completed questionnaire were interviewed face-to-face. Their ages ranged from 28.00 to 42.84. The high achievers were belonged to top 30% and the low achievers were belonged to the bottom 30% and the two groups demonstrated significant differences in their higher education and creative productivity. More doctoral degree holders and more number of creative products were found in the high achievers than the low achievers. 58.1% of the high achievers and 42.7% of the low achievers were working as professional scientists. Significantly more high achievers were working on tasks which require creative problem solving abilities and their income was significantly higher than the low achievers. For both groups, parents were the most significant individuals and then teachers were the second most important persons who impacted to their life and the choice of their occupation. Interviews with 13 graduates confirmed the survey results especially in their choice of life style and occupation. They were also influenced the most by parents, then teachers, and their friends who were more interacting with the socioeconomic environment when they selected university, major, and occupation. The results implies that high school achievement has significant influence on their future achievement to some extent and schools need to provide guide on the career choice not only to the students but also to their parents, since students' career choices are much influenced by their parents.