Undergraduate Research at a Teaching-Oriented College: Seniors’ Perspectives and Approaches to Consider

Robin Herlands Cresiski,Lori Navarrete,Sandip Thanki,Qingmin Shi

doi:10.14434/josotl.v21i1.30353

Abstract

This study examines the relationship of undergraduate research (UGR) participation on senior students’ reported engagement, perceived gains, satisfaction with their educational experience and retention, and graduation status compared to peers that have not participated in UGR. Data were drawn from 1,472 senior students at a comprehensive, teaching-oriented public college, and collected from administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) from 2015 to 2019, along with institutional data. This examination uniquely investigates outcomes of UGR participation besides persistence and graduation (which are already well documented) and leverages the lens of senior students in particular. In addition, this study contributes to the literature on UGR at teaching-oriented colleges, which has been sparse most likely because there are many more opportunities for UGR at research institutions. In line with several conceptual frameworks of student engagement, data analysis revealed that relative to their peers who have not participated in UGR, UGR-participating students have higher levels of engagement, perceived gains, and overall satisfaction. UGR-participating students also continued enrollment and/or graduated at a higher rate after reaching their senior status compared to non-participating peers. The implications for teaching-oriented colleges, as well as suggestions for how these institutions can enhance their undergraduate research programming, are discussed.

Highlights

Participation in undergraduate research (UGR, hereafter) has been well documented to have an impact on student success
After controlling for other variables, the results indicated that UGR participation was a significant predictor of persistence, Wald F(1) = 6.93, p < 0.01
Students reported higher scores of student-faculty interactions, quantitative reasoning, and collaborative learning experiences (13.4, 8.0, and 6.3 higher for UGR participants compared to non-participants, respectively, see Table 1 and Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

Participation in undergraduate research (UGR, hereafter) has been well documented to have an impact on student success. Designated a high impact practice (Kuh, 2008), working on novel research with a faculty member positively impacts student retention and graduation and increases a student’s self-identification as a scholar/scientist, which may be critical in persistence into graduatelevel study and future career choice (Eagan et al, 2013; Lopatto, 2010; Seymour et al, 2004).

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion