Underutilized science talent in the Netherlands

In this study, we investigated how many students had the ability to pursue advanced mathematics, chemistry, and physics (the so-called science & technology study profile) in secondary education, but had chosen other combinations of school subjects. Our research question was: To what extent is science talent underutilized in pre-university education and senior general secondary education? For 6,033 students, an individual science talent score was constructed based on their performance on three tests (arithmetic, mathematics, and symbolic intelligence). The average science talent score of all students pursuing science & technology (science students) served as criterion. We speak of underutilized science talent when a non-science student performs equally well or better on these tests than an average science student. The study demonstrated that, in addition to those already pursuing science & technology, about 1/4 of the non-science boys and almost 1/5 of the non-science girls had underutilized their science talent.