ABSTRACT

The stereotypical image of the scientist is a balding, middle-aged man in a white coat surrounded by bunsen burners or doing unspeakable things to rats. Chambers 1 demonstrated that among Canadian children this stereotype can develop very early. In his study children as young as seven drew pictures displaying many of the ‘indicators’ of the standard image of the scientist including lab coat, spectacles, facial hair and/or baldness, symbols of research and knowledge and so on. Hadden and Johnstone 2 also found that primary school children (in this case in Scotland) had well developed ideas about scientists, including the idea that scientists are men. Among several hundred children questioned, not one described a scientist as female. Such strongly held ideas about appropriate gender roles may be expected to subvert attempts to encourage females to take up science as a career, or to study it at an advanced level in school. The aim of this study was to assess current ideas about scientists among Scottish primary school children.