EXPLORING HIGH-ACHIEVING STUDENTS’ IMAGES OF MATHEMATICIANS

The aim of this study is to describe the images that a group of high-achieving Mexican students hold of mathematicians. For this investigation, we used a research method based on the Draw-A-Scientist Test (DAST) with a sample of 63 Mexican high school students. The group of students’ pictorial and written descriptions of mathematicians assisted us in characterising their predominant image of a mathematician. The image that emerged was that of a male person dressed in a casual or formal fashion, with a formal hairstyle and, in some cases, wearing glasses. Furthermore, he is a happy, intelligent person, who enjoys his work and is passionate about mathematics. We discuss some implications of the results and suggest future work.