Predictability of students' plans to participate in undergraduate research

Abstract

The focus of this study is to measure the predictability of first-year students' plans to participate in undergraduate research compared to the completion of this activity by senior year. The sample for this study includes the paired survey responses of 43,554 students who participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). These students completed the survey as first-year students between 2004 and 2008, then again as a seniors three or four years after their initial participation in the survey. By using logistic regression, researchers determined that students who planned to participate in undergraduate research as first-years were twice as likely to complete undergraduate research experiences by the time they were seniors. Plans to participate were the strongest predictor, but transfer status, grades, and academic major also influenced student participation in undergraduate research.