Thai Elementary Science Teachers’ Images of “Engineer(s)” at Work

Abstract

© 2020 Association for Science Teacher Education. This study explored 272 Thai elementary science teachers’ perceptions of engineers and engineering, through an investigation of their drawings and accompanying written descriptions. The teachers’ drawings were analyzed using a coding system that focused on the number and gender of engineers, their work environments, and objects associated with engineers, in combination with verbs used to describe their actions. The results revealed that while most of the participating teachers perceived engineers as individuals who design, the image of a man working outdoors on civil engineering projects was dominant—an image associated with sociocultural factors. These results provide insights for elementary science teachers’ professional development.