How Are Scientists Portrayed in Children’s Science Biographies?

Dagher, Zoubeida R.; Ford, Danielle J.

doi:10.1007/s11191-004-7933-2

Cited by 33 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…They presented facts without "the slightest hint that what is presented as knowledge is based on what scientists think, agree on, or believe to be the case" (p. 124). Dagher and Ford (2005) observed that older biographies of scientists contained little information about how they come to knowledge, and even newer biographies that include more description of experimental science still offer little connection between evidence and theory. Ford (2006) conducted a detailed analysis of the nature of science in children's literature.…”

Section: Nature Of Science In Children's Trade Booksmentioning

confidence: 99%

An analysis of award‐winning science trade books for children: Who are the scientists, and what is science?

Kelly

2018

J Res Sci Teach

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This manuscript presents a content analysis of 28 picture books from the Outstanding Science Trade Books recognized by the National Science Teachers Association in 2016. Drawing on the need for culturally relevant science instruction, the research investigated the portrayal of scientists in images (gender and racial background), the scientific disciplines, what aspects of the nature of science were represented in the books and where, and the language that described scientific work. Previous work suggested that science trade books do not often portray diverse scientists, the breadth of science, or the nature of science and scientific work. This study examined whether recently published and award‐winning books had these weaknesses. Findings showed that the sample did not show improvement in the diversity of scientific fields or scientists. Most scientists shown in images were white and male, and most books presented life science, often animals. However, the findings also showed that the extent to which books represented the nature of science varied widely. Some books contained no references, and others contained many references to different aspects of the nature of science. The study noted that biographies and books that described in detail the work of scientific teams provided the most nature of science content. Many books also had substantial nature of science content in peritextual material such as author's notes. The study collected and categorized all the verbs used to describe scientific activity and found that these descriptions of scientific activity have a wide scope and show scientists engaging in work ranging from data collection to activism. The article concludes with a recognition of the importance of broad scientific education programs about nature of science; the current children's book market, while offering valuable tools, does not adequately provide resources to teach the diversity of science and scientists.

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Section: Nature Of Science In Children's Trade Booksmentioning

confidence: 99%

An analysis of award‐winning science trade books for children: Who are the scientists, and what is science?

Kelly

2018

J Res Sci Teach

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Nonetheless, Hillman et al (2014) also report that scientists were consistently characterised by their students as wearing lab coats, using lab equipment and working in laboratories. Dagher and Ford (2005) adopted a different methodological approach for assessing students' images of scientists and their work, by asking students to investigate real scientists' lives and then write the scientists' biographies. They found that the students' written accounts of scientists at times included personal characteristics of scientists, such as hobbies and interests.…”

Section: Students' Views Of Scientists and Their Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meet the Scientist: The Value of Short Interactions Between Scientists and Students

Woods-Townsend

Christodoulou

Rietdijk

et al. 2015

International Journal of Science Education, Part B

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Students have been reported to have stereotypical views of scientists as middle-aged white men in lab coats. We argue that a way to provide students with a more realistic view of scientists and their work is to provide them with the opportunity to interact with scientists during short, discussion-based sessions. For that reason, 20 scientists from 8 professional areas were asked to share their experiences of becoming and being a scientist, in short sessions with groups of 7 -8 students. The student sample consisted of 223 students between 13 and 15 years. Student and scientist questionnaires were used before and after the sessions to assess students' views of scientists and their work, and scientists' experiences of interacting with students. The pre-session questionnaires revealed that students considered scientists as 'boring' and 'nerdy' whereas after the sessions students focused extensively on how 'normal' the scientists appeared to be. The faceto-face interactions with scientists allowed students to view scientists as approachable and normal people, and to begin to understand the range of scientific areas and careers that exist. Scientists viewed the scientist-student interactions as a vehicle for science communication. Implications discussed include the need for future training courses to focus on developing science communicators' questioning and interaction skills for effective interactions with students.

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“…Guisasola, Almudí and Furió (2005) point out that students are likely to see science as codified knowledge (in physics at least) for which textbooks present a very simplified version of the nature of science, one in which science knowledge is seen to be accumulated in "nonproblematic, non-historical, 'linear' accumulation" (p. 333). In contrast, recent work by Dagher and Ford (2005) suggests that science biographies written for children provide insights about scientific experiments and procedures used by scientists, but speak little of how scientists make connections between theory and evidence. Gauld (2005) in a landmark paper summarizes much research into the 'scientific mind' and scientists' views of the nature of science.…”

Section: Nature Of Science and The 'Scientific Mind'mentioning

confidence: 94%

Scientists and Scientific Thinking: Understanding Scientific Thinking Through an Investigation of Scientists Views About Superstitions and Religious Beliefs

Coll

Lay

Taylor

2008

EURASIA J MATH SCI T

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Scientific literacy is explored in this paper which describes two studies that seek to understand a particular feature of the nature of science; namely scientists' habits of mind. The research investigated scientists' views of scientific evidence and how scientists judge evidence claims. The first study is concerned with scientists' views of what constitutes superstitious beliefs. The second concerned potential conflicts between scientific theories and evidence, and religious beliefs. The research findings suggest that these scientists, unlike their stereotype, hold idiosyncratic views of what constitutes good scientific evidence and sound, credible testimony. The interviews provide a window into scientific thinking as practiced by modern scientists, and suggest that the scientists are rather more open to alternative thinking than might be supposed. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of their implications for scientific literacy.

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How Are Scientists Portrayed in Children’s Science Biographies?

Cited by 33 publications

References 13 publications

An analysis of award‐winning science trade books for children: Who are the scientists, and what is science?

An analysis of award‐winning science trade books for children: Who are the scientists, and what is science?

Meet the Scientist: The Value of Short Interactions Between Scientists and Students

Scientists and Scientific Thinking: Understanding Scientific Thinking Through an Investigation of Scientists Views About Superstitions and Religious Beliefs

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