Children's Images of Scientists: Does Grade Level Make a Difference?

The purpose of this study was to assess children's images of scientists by using the Draw-A-Scientist Test and to determine if differences in these images exist between grade levels. The DAST was administered to 243 children who were enrolled in kindergarten (aged 6) and grade 3 and 5 (aged 9 and 11). Findings obtained from the study revealed that, in general, children possess stereotypical views of scientists using the DAST with their drawings displaying fewer indicators of the stereotypic model on average. Results indicated that there are significant differences in students' stereotypical images of scientists depending on grade level. The results also showed that fifth grade students created images of scientists with more stereotypical elements compared to drawings created by students in kindergarten and grade 3.