Reflections on Experiences at a Residential Science and Math High School: An Alumni Survey

2021 ◽  
pp. 016235322110447
Author(s):  
Hope E. Wilson

Residential Science High Schools (RSHS) for academically talented students that focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) provide opportunities for high school students to accelerate their education. This study examines the results of a retrospective survey from one RSHS, including alumni for more than 20 years after graduation. The results indicate that the alumni have high levels of educational attainment and careers in STEM fields. In addition, the alumni perceive their experiences at the RSHS to have been positive, and that the RSHS prepared them for their educational pursuits, careers, social experiences, and future leadership positions. Finally, although the alumni did report a drop in academic self-concept while they were in the program, this drop did not appear to have an effect on their long-term goals or educational attainment. The implications for this study are to support the use of radical acceleration in the form of residential schools for an educational intervention for academically talented high school students.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongbin Wu ◽  
Leisi Pei ◽  
Shan Li ◽  
Cheng Jiang

Abstract Background: Academically talented high school students (ATHSSs), an exceptional cohort, are not well studied for their career expectations, especially for those with medical career expectation (MCE). Nowadays, the public perception of the medical profession is changing in China. The purpose of this study was to answer questions about ‘is medicine attractive for ATHSSs and ‘what factors affect medical career expectations (MCE) for ATHSSs’ in China. Methods: A total of 16,479 representative ATHSSs in senior three completed a questionnaire and four different academic tests. Frequency statistics showed the proportion of ATHSSs with MCE. Unpaired t-tests were performed to find out the differences in demographics, family background, and academic performance between students with and without MCE. The logit models analysis were applied to explore the potential factors that affected the MCE of this exceptional group of students. Results: ATHSSs with MCE accounted for 20.6% (ranking 7/18) of the respondents. They were more likely to be female, came from relatively poorer families, lived in a rural area, and performed significantly worse in all academic tests except for mathematics, compared with those without MCE. In addition, the results revealed that gender (β=-0.436, p<0.01), region of hometown (β=-103, p<0.1), mother’s years of schooling (β=-0.019, p<0.05), and father’s occupational status (β=-0.005, p<0.01) contributed significantly to the MCE of academically talented students. Better performance in mathematics affected the MCE of ATHSSs taking the liberal arts and science tests differently. Conclusions: We found the medical career is becoming unattractive to academically talented students and the medical career may be loosing their aura in China. Students who have medical career expectations are likely to be females and to have a weak family background. We discuss implications for medical education.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongbin Wu ◽  
Leisi Pei ◽  
Shan Li ◽  
Cheng Jiang

Abstract Background: Academically talented high school students (ATHSSs), an exceptional cohort, are not well studied for their career expectations, especially for those with medical career expectation (MCE). Nowadays, the public perception of the medical profession is changing in China. The purpose of this study was to answer questions about ‘is medicine attractive for ATHSSs and ‘what factors affect medical career expectations (MCE) for ATHSSs’ in China. Methods: A total of 16,479 representative ATHSSs in senior three completed a questionnaire and four different academic tests. Frequency statistics showed the proportion of ATHSSs with MCE. Unpaired t-tests were performed to find out the differences in demographics, family background, and academic performance between students with and without MCE. The logit models analysis were applied to explore the potential factors that affected the MCE of this exceptional group of students. Results: ATHSSs with MCE accounted for 20.6% (ranking 7/18) of the respondents. They were more likely to be female, came from relatively poorer families, lived in a rural area, and performed significantly worse in all academic tests except for mathematics, compared with those without MCE. In addition, the results revealed that gender (β=-0.436, p<0.01), region of hometown (β=-103, p<0.1), mother’s years of schooling (β=-0.019, p<0.05), and father’s occupational status (β=-0.005, p<0.01) contributed significantly to the MCE of academically talented students. Better performance in mathematics affected the MCE of ATHSSs taking the liberal arts and science tests differently. Conclusions: We found the medical career is becoming unattractive to academically talented students and the medical career may be loosing their aura in China. Students who have medical career expectations are likely to be females and to have a weak family background. We discuss implications for medical education.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongbin Wu ◽  
Leisi Pei ◽  
Shan Li ◽  
Cheng Jiang

Abstract Background: Academically talented high school students (ATHSSs), an exceptional cohort, are not well studied for their career expectations, especially for those with medical career expectation (MCE). Nowadays, the public perception of the medical profession is changing in China. The purpose of this study was to answer questions about ‘is medicine attractive for ATHSSs and ‘what factors affect medical career expectations (MCE) for ATHSSs’ in China. Methods: A total of 16,479 representative ATHSSs in senior three completed a questionnaire and four different academic tests. Frequency statistics showed the proportion of ATHSSs with MCE. Unpaired t-tests were performed to find out the differences in demographics, family background, and academic performance between students with and without MCE. The logit models analysis were applied to explore the potential factors that affected the MCE of this exceptional group of students. Results: ATHSSs with MCE accounted for 20.6% (ranking 7/18) of the respondents. They were more likely to be female, came from relatively poorer families, lived in a rural area, and performed significantly worse in all academic tests except for mathematics, compared with those without MCE. In addition, the results revealed that gender (β=-0.436, p<0.01), region of hometown (β=-103, p<0.1), mother’s years of schooling (β=-0.019, p<0.05), and father’s occupational status (β=-0.005, p<0.01) contributed significantly to the MCE of academically talented students. Better performance in mathematics affected the MCE of ATHSSs taking the liberal arts and science tests differently. Conclusions: We found the medical career is becoming unattractive to academically talented students and the medical career may be loosing their aura in China. Students who have medical career expectations are likely to be females and to have a weak family background. We discuss implications for medical education.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongbin Wu ◽  
Leisi Pei ◽  
Shan Li ◽  
Cheng Jiang

Abstract Background: Academically talented high school students (ATHSSs), an exceptional cohort, are not well studied for their career expectations, especially for those with medical career expectation (MCE). Nowadays, the public perception of the medical profession is changing in China. The purpose of this study was to answer questions about ‘is medicine attractive for ATHSSs and ‘what factors affect medical career expectations (MCE) for ATHSSs’ in China.Methods: A total of 16,479 representative ATHSSs in senior three completed a questionnaire and four different academic tests. Frequency statistics showed the proportion of ATHSSs with MCE. Unpaired t-tests were performed to find out the differences in demographics, family background, and academic performance between students with and without MCE. The logit models analysis were applied to explore the potential factors that affected the MCE of this exceptional group of students.Results: ATHSSs with MCE accounted for 20.6% (ranking 7/18) of the respondents. They were more likely to be female, came from relatively poorer families, lived in a rural area, and performed significantly worse in all academic tests except for mathematics, compared with those without MCE. In addition, the results revealed that gender (β=-0.436, p<0.01), region of hometown (β=-103, p<0.1), mother’s years of schooling (β=-0.019, p<0.05), and father’s occupational status (β=-0.005, p<0.01) contributed significantly to the MCE of academically talented students. Better performance in mathematics affected the MCE of ATHSSs taking the liberal arts and science tests differently. Conclusions: We found the medical career is becoming unattractive to academically talented students and the medical career may be losing their aura in China. Students who have medical career expectations are likely to be females and to have a weak family background.


2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Glennen ◽  
David J. Martin ◽  
Heather M. Walden

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adena E. Young ◽  
Frank C. Worrell

Two studies were conducted to examine and compare the construct validity of scores on the Junior Metacognition Awareness Inventory (JMAI) and problem-solving interview protocols. Participants consisted of 183 middle and high school students attending a university summer program for academically talented youth. Study 1 results indicated that JMAI scores were internally consistent and yielded an interpretable two-factor structure after the elimination of several items; however, the scores were not significantly or meaningfully related to GPA or current and future mathematics achievement. In Study 2 ( n = 30), JMAI scores did not predict students’ metacognitive behaviors during mathematics problem-solving tasks. In contrast, students’ metacognitive behaviors observed during problem solving were meaningfully related to mathematics achievement with medium to high effect sizes. Findings support the predictive validity of metacognition with regard to academic achievement when operationalized with problem-solving interviews, but call into question the criterion-related validity of JMAI scores.


Author(s):  
Gregory A. Wickliff

Supplemental instruction and tutoring in writing, genre, and document design and illustration, can improve the quality of formal mathematics and science papers and presentations composed by rising high school junior and senior students in a four-week summer program. This paper discusses the program history and goals, its structure, the methods of instruction and tutoring, and the professional and student writing samples delivered through the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics program. The program is a no-cost, state-funded program for academically talented students who aspire to careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Participants reside on the university campus for four weeks and conduct research around topics of their own interest individually or in collaboration with like-minded peers. Participants engage in research under the supervision of university faculty.


2020 ◽  
pp. 24-33
Author(s):  
K. V. Rozov

The article presents the structure, content and results of approbation of the C++ programming course developed for the 10th grade students of physics and mathematics profile and implemented as part of the academic subject “Informatics”. The aim of the course is to develop in the student not only knowledge and skills in programming, but also his algorithmic culture and programming culture as important qualities of a potential IT-specialist. This is facilitated by special control of educational process by the teacher, which consists in monitoring the activities of students in writing programs and timely correction of this activity. The assessment of the level of development of student algorithmic culture and programming culture relative to the basic level of their formation (when mastering the basics of algorithmization and programming in the 9th grade) was carried out on the basis of a number of criteria presented in the article. The results of approbation showed that the specially organized teacher activity makes it possible to increase the level of algorithmic culture and programming culture of high school students when studying the basics of programming in C++.


2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Skiba ◽  
Richard Boutwell ◽  
William Boze

The Office of Naval Research recognizing the importance of education, specifically science and mathematics, embarked nearly a decade ago on their National Naval Responsibility for Naval Engineering program. Since then, academia, industry, and SNAME have increased their individual and collaborative efforts towards reaching out to students in an effort to share the excitement and opportunities available within the marine industry. Recently, in this vein, the Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Apprentice School Chapter of the Hampton Roads SNAME chapter held a “Boat Design Competition” exposing over 240 high school students from 10 school districts (30 teams from 18 different high schools) to the excitement and knowledge needed to prepare design, construction and engineering packages using guidelines, lectures, and tutorial videos prepared by Apprentices and veteran Naval Architects. This was the first time high school students had the opportunity to compete in a head-to-head competition to design, construct, and operate the best boat relative to a number of prescribed requirements. The program also served to educate Apprentices in leadership, project management, research methods, brainstorming, naval architecture and systems engineering as well as establish a nurturing relationship between student chapter and veteran SNAME members which continues today.


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