This study sought to determine what undergraduate science students envision when asked to picture a scientist at work. Stereotypical understandings of who becomes a scientist and what the work involves may deter young people from STEM careers. The Draw-A-Scientist Test (DAST) and variations have been used over 40 years to explore student…

In this paper, I discuss how Walls employs color-blind ideology, a critical race theory (CRT) tenet to analyze the role of race in the draw-a-scientist (DAST) literature. Walls' article, "A critical race theory analysis of the draw-a-scientist test: Are they really that white?" exposes how omitting race in DAST research leads to…

Background: Many survey studies conducted in different countries have reported that students had stereotypical images of scientists, such as being male, old, bald, wearing eyeglasses, and working in laboratories. There are also intervention studies to introduce real scientists and change students' stereotypical image of scientists. The current…

Studies suggest that the lack of diversity in the science workforce may be partially attributed to implicit bias. Collectively, implicit biases are ingrained among youth from their upbringing, culture, and media, which are subsequently reflected in their language choices. Reform efforts made in post-secondary science education have targeted…

This paper reports findings from a small study with Fijian pre-service teachers about their perceptions of science and scientists. No known study of this nature has been conducted in Fiji nor in other Pacific Island Countries. The study drew on previous studies using Draw-A-Scientist Test as well as critiques of the instrument using qualitative…

In the past decades much research on the image of the scientist has been conducted, but the image of the specific scientist who does biological work, namely, the biologist, is under researched. Without this aspect of research school biology education may operate nowhere near to promoting the growth of students' appropriate image of the biologist.…

In this study, we reviewed 76 journal articles on employing drawing assessment as a research tool in science education. Findings from the systematic review suggest four justifications for using drawing as a type of research tool, including assessment via drawing as (a) an alternative method considering young participants' verbal or writing…

This paper highlights the use of a drama convention--"Role on the Wall"--to teach the Nature of Science (NOS) in a Year 7/8 classroom. Students were positioned as "expert" scientists re-investigating the science behind the sinking of the Wahine in a Mantle of the Expert unit. Students drew a "Role on the Wall" of a…

This article documents a collaborative project involving preservice early childhood education students' development of inquiry-based learning experiences alongside kindergarten students within a science methods course. To document this project, I utilized a multiple methods approach and data included classroom observations, transcripts from lesson…

The purpose of this study is two-fold. First, it investigates the self-images of science teaching held by early childhood pre-service teachers who took constructivism early childhood science education courses. Second, it analyzes what aspects of those courses influenced these images. The participants were eight pre-service teachers who took these…