DOMAIN-DIFFERENTIATED RESEARCHER REPRESENTATIONS AND FUTURE OCCUPATIONAL ASPIRATIONS OF SCIENCE-GIFTED STUDENTS

TitleDOMAIN-DIFFERENTIATED RESEARCHER REPRESENTATIONS AND FUTURE OCCUPATIONAL ASPIRATIONS OF SCIENCE-GIFTED STUDENTS
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2026
AuthorsHwang, H, Park, J, Park, E, Chung, D-H, Koo, J, Lee, J-K
JournalJournal of Baltic Science Education
Volume25
Issue5
Start Page870-883
PaginationContinuous
Date PublishedOctober / 2026
Type of ArticleOriginal article
ISSN1648-3898
Other NumbersE-ISSN 2538-7138
Keywordsdomain differentiation, Draw-A-Scientist Test, gifted science education, occupational aspirations, researcher representations, science-gifted students
Abstract

The Draw-A-Scientist Test (DAST) has repeatedly shown that students hold a single, stereotyped image of the scientist, a middle-aged white man in a lab coat working alone indoors. This study asked whether that singular image holds when science-gifted students are prompted to draw an expert in their own field and when their drawings are considered alongside their envisioned occupational futures. A total of 128 science-gifted students (grades 6–8; 98 boys, 30 girls) from nine specialization tracks at a university-affiliated science-gifted education institute completed a modified DAST, asking them to draw a researcher from their own field showing "where, with what tools, and doing what," together with open-response items on their hoped-for occupation and future aspirations. Drawings were coded using a developmentally and domain-adapted three-layer scheme (classic stereotype markers; figure representation; domain-specific practice), and future-self-related responses were coded for occupational science linkage, aspiration orientation, and learning needs. Classic stereotype indicators were rare, while domain-related research practices were represented. Researcher representations also differed across specialization domains, particularly in research activities. Most students named a STEM-related future occupation, and their aspirations focused on social contribution and the pursuit of knowledge. Researcher representations and envisioned occupational futures showed partial alignment at the domain level.

DOI10.33225/jbse/26.25.870
Refereed DesignationRefereed
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