A total of 69 students participated in this activity. One day, a group of researchers went to these students and asked them to complete the same task as me; draw what you think a scientist looks like. The students drawings were then collected and looked at. They were graded by the Draw-A-Scientist-Test-Checklist (DAST-C), which is a rubric that looks at typical science stereotypes and how many of them are in a specific drawing. What the researchers found was that most students drew their scientists just like I did; a white man with a lab coat working indoors at a laboratory. According to the research collected by the group, 77% of students drew a white male as their figure for a scientist. This is unfortunate, but not the fault of the students. Especially at that young age, students probably haven’t been exposed to anything else representing a scientist. That is why this group wanted to really work with these students and see if they could show them that scientists come in all shapes and sizes. Over the next few weeks, the students were visited in their classrooms by a female chemical engineer and a male physicist. The scientists talked with the students a little bit about what they do, and then conducted a science experiment with them. These scientists were brought in because they went against what the students pictured as a scientist based on their drawings. The chemical engineer was a female, and since only about 20% of the class drew a female scientist, this was very important. The students needed to see a female figure as a scientist, especially since there are so many of them in today’s world. Although the physicist was a white male, he came in wearing a suit and tie instead of a lab coat. This was also important because 86% of students drew their scientist wearing a lab coat. Although it may be true that many scientists wear lab coats, scientists can wear many different things and work all over the world. After these scientists visited the class, the students never heard another word about them. Four weeks later, the group returned to the students and had them draw their idea of a scientist once again. They were hoping that the visits with scientists would get the students thinking and seeing that scientists can come in all shapes and sizes. After collecting and analyzing the students drawings the second time around, the group was pleased to see that the students artwork was very different. The amount of students that drew a white male wearing a lab coat decreased by about 20%. This is a big change!
The work that this scientist group conducted was very interesting and eye-opening. Based on data, it seems that this was very effective in transforming student misconceptions as scientists. I think that the fact that the students got to see two completely different scientists for an extended period of time. They got to learn and ask about what each one did, which deepened their understanding of what a scientist can be. I think that it’s especially important for young girls to see that they can grow up to be scientists if they want! Girls don’t always get to see these role models in their lives, so this would probably explain why even most girls drew their scientists as men. I also think that is was cool for the students to get to see different types of scientists. Most students drew their scientists in a lab wearing a coat, so it was good for them to see that scientists can work in a bunch of different types of environments. The fact that both elementary aged students and my peers in my class had the same misconceptions shows that teachers really need to emphasize and show examples to students of a plethora of different types of scientists. Students should know that no matter your race, gender or age, science is for everybody!
Article Used:
Bodzin, A., & Gehringer, M. (2001, January). Breaking Science Stereotypes. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
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