© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007 Gifted Students ’ Perceptions of Engineers- A Study of Students in a Summer Outreach Program

The Gifted Education Resource Institute (GERI) at Purdue University holds several summer outreach classes for gifted elementary and secondary school students. The program gives students access to challenging science, mathematics, computer, and humanities classes. The purpose of this study is to investigate 3rd and 4th grade GERI students ’ perceptions of engineers for students enrolled in various Summer 2006 classes. This qualitative study was conducted using a constructivist theoretical framework. Eighteen students completed a background questionnaire, drew an engineer doing engineering work, and discussed engineering in an individual interview. Data analysis was conducted using content analysis, which included axial coding and categorizing data presented in student drawings, interviews, and questionnaires. Results show that students held common misconceptions about engineers while others were knowledgeable about what engineers do. Data also revealed sources of students ’ knowledg