Perceptions of science and scientists
Children as young as eight may be put off the idea of becoming scientists because they see them as 'middle-aged white males who never have fun'.
(BBC Newsonline, December 2000, reports findings by
Dr Tina Jarvis, director of SCIcentre.)
Numerous studies have been carried out across the globe into the perceptions that both children and adults carry about science and scientists.
[Before you read any further, you might like to try the Activity on the right with your colleagues.]
The results show remarkably similar stereotypes worldwide, regardless of age. Asked to sketch a scientist, the resulting figure is often of the 'boffin' type, white, male, bespectacled and middle-aged.
Websites aiming to answer pupils' science questions are named 'Ask a Boffin', 'Ask the Egghead' or 'Ask a Mad Scientist' and often feature a 'mad scientist' figure, who leads the pupils through their studies. Science-fiction books, films and TV series often perpetuate this stereotype.
Perhaps more worrying is the perception that scientists are boring eccentrics who spend a lot of time at their desks and never have fun. This perception is not likely to encourage pupils to explore the world of science as a career option. In our classrooms, there is much we can do to counteract it by allowing pupils access to scientists working on exciting projects around the world.
Part 2 of the Activity on the right shows the results of changing perceptions once pupils had met a real male or female scientist. There was a decrease in science stereotypes and an increase in female images drawn.
Try www.the-ba.net for up-to-date information on science and scientists.
Also, a visit to the 'Association for Science Education' website's 'Global Dimension' area gives further information - the ASE links scientists with schools via email.
'The Global Alliance for Diversifying the Science and Engineering Workforce' gives lists of current female scientists.
Activity Resources:
- Images
- Interactive
- Sound
- Text
- Video
Activity
Try this activity with your colleagues:
- Quickly sketch a scientist, without referring to anyone else's drawing. Now have a look at colleagues' sketches and compare your creations, looking for similarities and differences.
- Two classes totalling 69 nine and ten-year-olds were asked to draw a scientist. Click on the Text icon above to reveal a document containing a list of features attributed to scientists.
- What percentage of each of the listed characteristics do you think the pupils used in their illustrations?
- Fill in Table 1 and then check your ideas against the completed Table 2, which shows some change in perceptions after a visit from a scientist.
Pupil activity
Ask the pupils to draw their idea of a scientist. Display these pictures and ask:
- Are they all similar?
- Are real scientists like this?
- How could you find out?
You could provide suitable websites where pupils can research contemporary scientists and discuss their findings. Find one example, below. www.engineeringinteract.org This site shows how scientists use their findings in the real world. It also contains games and simulations for pupils to explore.
