Examining the tendencies of parents of gifted children to guide their children toward scientific fields

The influence of families on the career choices of gifted students is undeniable. This study aims to examine the extent to which the families of gifted students—enrolled in Science and Art Centers, which are institutions providing support education for the gifted in Turkiye—encourage their children to pursue careers in scientific fields. The participant group consisted of 278 parents (M=91, F=187) whose children are enrolled in different SACs located in Ankara. The research group was formed using a purposeful sampling method, with the primary criterion being that participants must be SAC parents. The study employed the survey model, a quantitative research method, to collect data. The SPSS program was used for data analysis. An assessment of the data revealed that it followed a normal distribution. For analyzing variables such as gender, children’s grade levels, and ages, arithmetic means, standard deviations, and dependent samples t-tests were utilized. The ANOVA test was applied to examine the variables of the number of children and the parents' education levels. A significance level of p