New Perspectives in Science Education

This session explores international school students’ perceptions of scientists and science, before and following an intervention program. The study aimed a) to examine any stereotypical perceptions of scientists and science held by the students, and b) to establish the extent to which these perceptions were open to change. Secondary school students from different countries, within an international school environment, were asked to draw a scientist and to describe a day in the life of a scientist. The drawings were based on the original Draw-a-Scientist-Test developed by David Chambers [1]. Descriptions of the daily lives of scientists were added to the drawing, as studies indicate that images alone do not fully capture students’ conceptions of science and scientists [2]. Following the preliminary data collection, students engaged with the daily activities of local scientists from various cultures, races, and backgrounds, over a five-month period. This session provides a description of the initial data collection stage, the intervention steps, and the analysis of the data following the intervention. The study makes recommendations for curricular change, access to diverse role models, the explicit valuing of women’s contributions to science, and the reevaluation of teaching resources, including a critical examination of the media sources used in teaching.

Keywords Draw-a-scientist-test, student perceptions, science, scientists, diversity, multicultural 

References
1.  Chambers, D.W. (1983) Stereotypic Images of the Scientist: The Draw a Scientist Test. Science Education. 67 (2): 255–265.
2. Emvalotis, A., and A. Koutsianou (2018) Greek Primary School Students’ Images of Scientists and Their Work: Has Anything Changed? Research in Science and Technological Education. 36 (1): Routledge: 69–85.