DRAWING AS A TOOL: INVESTIGATING UNDERGRADUATE CONCEPTIONS OF EARTH SCIENTISTS

The aim of this study was to use a drawing tool to survey undergraduate students’ conceptions of Earth scientists, throughout initial Earth science courses. We posed two research inquiries: 1) What student conceptions manifest in undergraduate students’ drawings of Earth scientists? and 2) How do undergraduate students’ interpretations of Earth scientists—as demonstrated in their drawings— transform due to completing an introductory Earth science course? Our team collected drawings of Earth scientists at the beginning and the end of six introductory Earth science courses at two universities. The total of ninety-four students delivered data that was then coded resulting in the 188 drawings across thirty-nine indicators. Next, we used Chi Square Goodness of Fit Tests to identify substantial shifts between pre- and post-drawings. Twelve indicators demonstrated higher frequencies and eleven indicators showed significant change (with small, medium, and large effects) between the drawings collected at the beginning and at the end of each course. The results suggest that naïve conceptions exist, particularly at the beginning of an introductory Earth science course. Nonetheless, conclusions indicate that most students had a well-versed view of Earth science as a field and of the work of Earth scientists. Furthermore, student notions about Earth scientists principally studying rocks, minerals, and soil, extended to include other areas of inquiry such as the atmosphere and bodies of water. We suggest that making illustrations can serve as a supplementary device, which is high in value, for understanding students’ interpretations of Earth scientists, which in the long term will pose a substantial impact regarding instruction and curriculum design.