National “Draw a Person Doing Science” survey: Development perspectives

Abstract

The perception of science and scientists plays a crucial role in shaping attitudes toward STEM disciplines. In particular, prospective primary school teachers' views on science can significantly influence how they introduce scientific concepts to primary school pupils, either fostering interest or reinforcing stereotypes. This study, conducted within the Agora`LAB project and through the collaboration of three research groups in physics education from the Universities of Calabria, Naples, and Palermo, investigates the mental representations of scientists among students enrolled in the Italian Primary Education Sciences program. In this paper, we present a preliminary analysis of 290 drawings. The first preliminary results highlight the persistence of several stereotypical representations. A significant gender disparity emerges in the drawings, reinforcing the traditional association of science with male figures. This trend appears even more pronounced when compared to our previous study conducted with primary school pupils (published in 2023), where 70% of young primary school girls depicted female scientists, compared to only 52% of prospective female teachers involved in this study. Beyond the gender issue, this paper also proposes other interesting analyses and highlights the presence of typical elements that characterise the figure of scientists, typically wearing lab coats and working indoor, usually in a laboratory where there are test tubes. By contrast, most of prospective primary teachers depicted scientists as young (37%) or middle-aged (34%) persons, while only 16% drew elderly figures, differing from the classic "old scientist" stereotype. Finally, absence in the drawings of digital tools, such as computers, smartphones, or tablets, despite their widespread use in modern scientific research, suggests a disconnection between the reality of contemporary science and the perception of prospective teachers, highlighting the need for greater integration of digital literacy in teacher training programs.