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European Journal of Education Studies ISSN: 2501 - 1111 ISSN-L: 2501 - 1111 Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu Volume 3 │Issue 11 │2017 doi: 10.5281/zenodo.1098291 SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ SCIENTIST IMAGE: IS IT SENSATIONAL OR TRADITIONAL? Meryem Görecek Baybarsi Assist. Prof. Dr., Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Turkey Abstract: It can be said that the positive perception that the students will develop against science and the scientist from childhood is so effective that it can direct their perception in their future lives. Therefore, determination of students’ perceptions of science and the scientist is very important for educators. Thus, the purpose of the current study is to determine secondary school students’ images of the scientist. Moreover, the study also looked at the classroom factors affecting students’ images of the scientist. The study was carried out with the participation of 240 secondary school students in a city located in the western part of Turkey in the fall term of the 2017-2018 school year. In the study, the DAST scale adapted by Farland (2003) was administered to the secondary school students. Within the context of the current study, the secondary school students’ images of the scientist were explored in terms of the appearance, working area and works of the scientist. Keywords: scientist image, DAST, student 1. Introduction A common definition of science is very difficult to make. This is because science is not a fixed but constantly and rapidly changing and developing endeavor (Bilen, 2015). When defined in the simplest of terms science is a process of accurate thinking, seeking for the truth and knowledge, systematic collection of knowledge by using scientific methods and organization of the collected data and also a set of attempts made to understand and define the Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. © 2015 – 2017 Open Access Publishing Group 710 Meryem Görecek Baybars SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ SCIENTIST IM“GE IS IT SENSATIONAL OR TRADITIONAL? universe Çepni, 2005, s.2). The absence of a definition that everyone agrees on is also true for the scientist who is the subject of science. According to Kuhn (2008), one of the most important requirements of understanding scientific knowledge is to understand the scientist. Only in this way, individuals can acquire a correct understanding of science and develop a positive attitude towards it. At that point, it should be noted that individuals’ perceptions of the scientist begin to be constructed from the pre-school period (Newton & Newton, 1992). When the literature is reviewed, it is seen that there are many studies conducted to determine individuals’ perceptions of the scientist. From among these studies, the study of Meade and Metraux (1957) with 35000 students can be considered to be the first study to determine the image of the scientist. In the following years, while working on the scientist image, Chambers (1983) developed the "Draw a Scientist Test D“ST , considering that it might be difficult for students to express their opinions in writing or orally. A total of seven characteristics of the scientist were identified by Chambers (1983) on the basis of the analysis of the data collected from 4807 students from different socio-economic levels. These characteristics are lab coat (generally white), glasses, messy hair and beard, research symbols, knowledge symbols, technology computer, microscope, telescope and captions such as I have found it . Newton and Newton 1143 students in the age group of 4- used the "Draw a Scientist Test in a study of to determine the students’ perception of the scientist; when something not understood by the students emerged, they asked questions to the students to make it clear. Newton and Newton (1992) have discussed the data obtained in this study under two main headings. These are the characteristics of the figure and the characteristics of the background. While the characteristics of the figure consist of gender, lab coat, glasses, beard and boldness , the characteristics of the background consist of structures related to scientific knowledge and involvement in scientific process. In order to increase the reliability and validity of the D“ST, Scientist Checklist was formed by Finson, ”eaver and Cramond . This checklist was designed to check the most commonly observed aspects of researchers. As known, the D“ST only relies on students’ drawings. Therefore, in order to be able to make a good use of the DAST, participants need to be self-sacrificing and researchers should conduct their analyses carefully (Öcal, 2007). According to Song and Kim (1999), the DAST should be supported with interviews or Likert-type scales in order to elicit the abstract characteristics of the scientist. When the literature is examined, it is seen that the DAST has been administered to different populations of students ranging from pre-school to university. In the literature, the drawings of the scientist have been analyzed in terms the different characteristics of participants such as age (Buldu, 2007; Fung, 2002; Korkmaz and Kavak, 2010; Milford and Tippet, 2012; Ruiz-Mallen and Escalas, 2012), gender European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 3 │ Issue 11 │ 2017 711 Meryem Görecek Baybars SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ SCIENTIST IM“GE IS IT SENSATIONAL OR TRADITIONAL? (Gonsoulin, 2001; Nath and Thomas, 2013) and culture (Bayri, Köksal and Ertekin, 2016; Korkmaz, 2011; Rodari 2007; Narayan, Park, Peker and Suh, 2013; Schibeci and Sorenson, 1993;). The findings of these studies have revealed the common characteristics of scientists as follows; in general they are middle-aged or elderly, they wear glasses, they are bald, they wear a white lab coat, they work alone in the lab, they shout I have found, I have found and they are generally males. Visual and written resources used by teachers, family, socio-economic level, gender and age seem to be effective on the emergence of these characteristics as the common characteristics of the scientist. Schibeci concluded that individuals’ images of the scientist are affected by the media. In programs shown in the media For example, the film Time Machine , scientists are generally depicted as figures who are crazy, rebellious and working in a lab environment; thus, creating a standard image of a scientist in the minds of people. “ccording to Chambers , the reason for the use of expressions such I have found, I have found by students is their being affected by printed and visual resources. It can be said that individuals' family experiences, parents' professions, educational status, friends, environment and even their toys affect their perception of the scientist. According to Entwisle and Greenberger (1972), students' perception of scientist is shaped by the end of primary school (Farland, 2003). During this process, the science course is the course in which students learn the most information about science and the scientist. Matthews and Davies (1996) argue that teachers, especially those working at basic education level, shape students' perceptions of the scientist. Taylor, Jones, Roadwell and Oppewal (2008) have reached a conclusion that when the education given is exciting and enjoyable, it makes important contributions to the development of interest in science. Therefore, teachers’ perception of scientist is of great importance. For viewing / downloading the full article, please access the following link: https://oapub.org/edu/index.php/ejes/article/view/1258 European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 3 │ Issue 11 │ 2017 712