DAST: Exploring middle school-aged girls’ perceptions of scientists upon participating in an outdoor learning experience

Outdoor learning experiences (OLEs) are opportunities for K-12 students to engage in group activities focused on active learning activities in natural spaces led by field-based science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals. Thus, OLEs hold great promise in shifting perceptions of who does STEM and who one learns STEM among middle school aged students. Research on how OLEs uniquely influence girls’ perceptions of science and scientists remains limited as outdoor spaces are regarded as masculine; therefore, the present study measured 20 middle school aged girls’ perceptions of STEM-scientists while participating in a STEM-focused multiday OLE in the southwestern United States. Before and after participating in a three-day residential OLE focused on inquiry-based, STEM-focused, research activities, participants drew and described their understanding of a scientist using the Draw-A-Scientist-Test (DAST). The validated DAST checklist assessed four stereotypes of scientists (neutral, sinister, eccentric, and positive) and coding results suggested a decrease in all four stereotypical perceptions with the greatest decreases in neutral and eccentric tropes. Post OLE participation, participants reported their vision scientists working in outdoor settings and performing field work, suggesting that OLEs reduced stereotypical scientist perceptions and fostered more realistic views of scientists and their work. Augmentation of the DAST codebook is recommended to include “working outdoors” and “studying or observing natural settings or natural materials” to capture students’ shifting perceptions of scientists inspired from OLE interventions.