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ERIC Number: EJ1490535
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Dec
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0036-6803
EISSN: EISSN-1949-8594
Available Date: 2024-09-10
What Does a Scientist Look Like? Children's Perceptions of Scientist Gender and Skin Tone
School Science and Mathematics, v125 n6 p631-643 2025
When asked to draw a scientist, children typically draw a gender stereotypical male representation; however, research has not yet assessed these representations in terms of scientist stereotypical skin tone. The current study examined children's (N = 69, 66.7% female, M[subscript age] = 7.60, SD = 2.13) scientist perceptions by analyzing both the gender and skin tone of their scientist drawings as well as stereotypical features represented (lab coats, scientific instruments, etc.). This study also examined how these perceptions as reflected in the drawings were related to children's explicit gender stereotypes and their science growth mindset. Boys were less likely to draw a female scientist than were girls. Additionally, children with higher growth mindset were more likely to draw a female scientist. Lastly, with age, children were "less" likely to draw a female scientist, or a darker skin-toned scientist as compared with a male or lighter skin-toned scientist and were more likely to draw a scientist with stereotypical features. This study furthers our knowledge of children's perceptions about scientists.
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Draw a Scientist Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; 2Department of Human Development and Family Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; 3Department of Psychology, The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; 4Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA