Nachtigall, V., & Rummel, N. (2025)

Learners’ conceptions of scientists are often assumed to influence their academic interests – but empirical evidence for this relationship remains limited and inconsistent. Moreover, little is known about how students perceive scientists beyond STEM domains and how these conceptions relate to their academic interests. These blind spots are uncovered in the present study by investigating secondary school students’ conceptions of educational scientists compared to natural scientists, and how these conceptions relate to their study interest and self-image. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 64 students and used Epistemic Network Analysis to analyse their conceptions. Findings reveal that natural scientists are more strongly associated with scientific activities and cognitive abilities than educational scientists. Notably, students with high study interest and self-image in educational sciences have more inaccurate conceptions, conflating educational scientists with pedagogical roles. Across disciplines, students with low interest and self-image tend to hold pessimistic, stereotypical views of scientists, whereas those with high interest and self-image view them more positively, associating them with communion-oriented activities and prosocial characteristics. This study highlights the need to promote more accurate student views of different scientific disciplines to better align their expectations and career choices, ultimately improving their engagement and reducing dropout rates.

International Journal of Science Education, 1-31