EXPLORING AMERICAN INDIAN STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS, ATTITUDES, AND MISCONCEPTIONS OF SCIENTISTS AND THE NATURE OF SCIENCE

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the perceptions, attitudes, and misconceptions (PAM) that high school American Indian (AI) students possess about scientists and the nature of science. AI is the least represented group in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors and careers, both proportionally and aggregately. The results of this study may be used as a baseline or "snap shot" to gauge the effectiveness of the current and future initiatives addressing the underrepresentation of AI and other minorities in science, mathematics, engineering, and health care and computer professions.

Views on Science-Technology-Society (VOSTS), Draw-A-Scientist Test Checklist (DAST-C), and Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire (VNOS) instruments are used to characterize the perceptions, attitudes, and misconceptions of 133 high school students from a school district in a midwestern state. Based on the analysis of quantitative data, there is no significant difference in students' DAST scores between genders and among different school grades. The analysis shows a significant effect of school grade on students' naive views on science-technology-society. Also, it shows that those students' views on science-technology-society became less naïve and more informed as they progressed through grades. However, results show that merit position score and informed position score were independent of school grade. The results also reveal that there is no significant relationship between school grade and any of the VOSTS positions, which implies that school grade did impact naive position, merit position and informed position of AI students.