Abstract
Achieving eminence in STEM domains requires the development of intellectual and academic abilities, creativity, and the cultivation of psychological and social skills. The value of talent development, nurture, and training is key to achieve success in science. Using the mega-model of talent development as the theoretical basis and embedded mixed-method design, the present study examines attainment levels of 622 STEM professionals aged between 29 to 77 years who are awardees of Jagadis Bose National Science Talent Search (JBNSTS), India's oldest science talent search organization. The efficacy of the program towards nurturing pathways of eminence and expertise amongst scholars is explored through mapping longitudinal archival data and analyzing scholar interviews across four generations and three talent development stages. Findings throw light on key factors and experiences highlighting the role played by JBNSTS in facilitating the scientific journeys of its scholars over six decades. Differences in career trajectories and life choices of JBNSTS scholars are explained in terms of contributing factors related to their overall experience including transformational moments.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Jagadis Bose National Science Talent Search in Kolkata, India, and its scholars for their support and participation.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Paromita Roy
Paromita Roy, a PhD in Psychology is Deputy Director of Jagadis Bose National Science Talent Search (JBNSTS) in Kolkata, India with experience in working with and designing programs for talented school and undergraduate students of STEM. Her research interests include gifted education, gender studies, mentoring, and psychology of gifted students.
Anyesha Mishra
Anyesha Mishra (Master of Arts in Psychology) is a class coordinator and faculty at Jnana Prabodhini’s Institute of Psychology, Pune, India for the course PG Diploma in Education of the Gifted: Methods and Strategies. Her areas of interest are psychology of the gifted, nurturing and educating strategies for the gifted, and social psychology. She will be joining as a graduate student at William and Mary School of Education in Fall 2021.