Date: Sunday, May 24, 2026
Hi! We are Andrea Hutson and Lindsay Lamb from Agile Analytics in Austin, Texas. For the past four years, we’ve evaluated the High School Research Initiative (HRI), which brings hands-on, inquiry-based science modules into classrooms based on current University of Texas (UT) research. Classroom teachers lead the modules after being trained by UT scientists; these scientists, and students in their research lab, meet virtually with the high school class up to twice per semester.
When trying to measure knowledge change, it’s easy to reach for traditional assessments. But in programs like HRI, we often need more quick ways to capture learning, without overburdening students or teachers and possibly getting more authentic responses from students.
We asked high school students at pre- and post-test to describe in two sentences, “What does a typical day look like for a scientist?”
This question was inspired by Chambers’ Draw a Scientist test (see Rad Resource for a review). We coded responses and compared changes in perceptions of scientists before and after participating in the modules.
We found that students’ descriptions of scientists shifted in interesting ways after participating in the modules. They were less likely to describe scientists as isolated lab workers, and were more likely to describe them as collaborators who analyze data, interpret results, and share those results with others through teaching and writing. In short, by interacting (virtually) with real researchers, and by conducting their own inquiry-based research, their perceptions of scientists changed.
While qualitative coding takes time, the measure showed meaningful shifts in understanding without giving students a lengthy test. In addition to being faster for students, the use of an open-ended questions also did not prime students or feed them the ‘correct’ answers. (The mere fact of explicitly asking students if scientists collaborate, for example, may have put an idea in their heads that wasn’t there before.)
“Stereotypic Images of the Scientist: The Draw a Scientist Test.”
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