Abstract

Prior to empirical analysis of the gap in academic achievement in mathematics and science, the influence of the gap in competency in the elementary education stage is analyzed after grasping the current status of the gap in basic competencies in science and technology through various statistical data.
Students with low basic levels of mathematics and science subjects low career access in mathematics and science, which are the basis of ICT majors, were operatively defined as "the underprivileged in ICT" to derive policy implications for expanding educational opportunities for the group.

The main contents of this study are as follows.

① In order to find out whether gaps arise in science and mathematics-related subjects and competencies, and what the size of the gap is like, various statistical data are used to analyze the current status of the educational gap.
② In order to determine whether there is a gap in basic competency in the ICT field in the pre-university education stage using PISA data, the gap in academic achievement of science and technology-related subjects according to gender is analyzed and decomposed.
③ By analyzing the effect of parents' household income on their children's choice of major related to university ICT, they indirectly grasp the effect of inequality in household income on fostering future ICT talent through investment in children's education.
④ Policy discussions to expand educational opportunities in science and technology in the elementary and secondary curriculum and support the underprivileged in education in the ICT field through in-depth interviews and opinion surveys.

Unlike previous studies on university majors and advanced education on future talent development, this study approached the pre-university stage to lay the groundwork for government policy intervention to enhance basic competencies in the ICT field and bridge the competency gap.