The Draw-a-Woman Scientist Test: Exploring Schoolchildren’s Perceptions of Women Scientists

• In Event: Racial and Gender Politics of Schooling

Abstract

Research on the gender gap in STEM has primarily focused on the behaviors of girls and women in response to their environments, with little focus on the attitudes of the boys and men. We introduce the Draw-a-Woman-Scientist Test (DAWST), a variant on the Draw-a-Scientist Test (DAST), in order to understand attitudes toward women scientists. We analyze drawings from elementary and middle school students using rubric scores. Girls more frequently illustrate contemporary scientists, while boys tend to portray sensational scientists with fewer feminine features. Overall, the traditional image of the scientist persists. Implications for policy and practice focus on how “girls-in-STEM” initiatives may contribute to gender imbalances by siloing depictions of women scientists into gender-specific programming, rather than mainstream science education.

Authors

• Laura Goldstein, University of Rhode Island

• Sara Sweetman, University of Rhode Island