What Do Students Think Scientists Look Like?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a gender difference in the way nine to 12‐year‐old students drew scientists before and after their teachers implemented intervention strategies. Rubrics were used to analyze for stereotypic characteristics such as sex of the scientist and the presence of eye glasses, a lab coat, funny hair, a weird smile, wild eyes, facial hair, robotic features, and facial scars. Results indicated that boys held more stereotypic views on pretest drawings than did girls and also demonstrated the most improvement to less stereotypic views as a result of intervention.