The Motivation to Experiment: A Study of Gifted Adolescents' Attitudes toward Scientific Research

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate some of the variables that characterize students who have achieved success in science. One hundred forty-six winners of the 1983 Westinghouse Science Talent Search completed a questionnaire exploring the subjects' views on the role of the scientist in society, images of self as scientist, personal motivations for conducting scientific research, qualities admired in scientific heroes or heroines, and how often teachers discussed interactions of science and society. Chi square and ANOVA analyses were employed with each of two independent variables: gender and area of science. Female subjects reported more concern with social impacts of scientific research, less variability in their self-image as a scientist, and a tendency to attribute success to hard work and dedication rather than intelligence or creativity than did male subjects. Over all, subjects identified curiosity as the primary impetus for research and indicated a moderate amount of exposure to scientific controversy in the secondary science classroom.