Some Factors Affecting the Image of the Scientist Drawn by Older Primary School Pupils

Abstract

Boys and girls differed consistently in their representations of scientists. Girls showed themselves more adaptable in this respect, obtaining more extreme scores on the Draw‐a‐Scientist Test (Chambers, 1983) than did boys in response to verbal accounts of examples of the scientist which were either typical or atypical of the commonly held stereotype. Girls drew fewer mythical scientists; of the mythical images advanced representations of the Frankenstein myth predominated; more mythical images appeared in second than in first drawings. Only girls drew women scientists; more women scientists appeared in second than in first drawings. Some indications of level of reliability of the instrument used are presented.