The Impact of Undergraduate Research Experience Intensity on Measures of Student Success
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Despite the growing interest to provide research engagement opportunities to undergraduate students, few studies have investigated how engagement “intensity” impacts measures of student success. A quasi-experimental, matched-subject design was employed to study differences between varying levels of research experience intensity (i.e., Experienced, Novice, Control groups) on Graduating GPA, Time to Graduate, and type of post-graduation experience. Results indicated that experienced students had significantly higher graduating GPAs than novice or control students, and both research groups had significantly lower time to graduate than the control group. Findings also indicated experienced student researchers are significantly more likely to progress to graduate school than either novice research or control students. Implications for implementing research initiatives are discussed.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (JoSoTL) right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License, (CC-BY) 4.0 International, allowing others to share the work with proper acknowledgement and citation of the work's authorship and initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
- Authors are able to enter separate, additional contractual agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
- In pursuit of manuscripts of the highest quality, multiple opportunities for mentoring, and greater reach and citation of JoSoTL publications, JoSoTL encourages authors to share their drafts to seek feedback from relevant communities unless the manuscript is already under review or in the publication queue after being accepted. In other words, to be eligible for publication in JoSoTL, manuscripts should not be shared publicly (e.g., online), while under review (after being initially submitted, or after being revised and resubmitted for reconsideration), or upon notice of acceptance and before publication. Once published, authors are strongly encouraged to share the published version widely, with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
References
Baker, T. N. (2017). The impact of undergraduate research participation on research
self-efficacy. (10642999). [Doctoral dissertation. Florida Atlantic University]. PQDT
Open- ProQuest.
Baker, T. N. & DeDonno, M. A. (2020). The influence of research participation, field of study,
and gender on research self-efficacy. The International Journal of Learning in Higher
Education, 27(2), 11-26. doi:10.18848/2327-7955/CGP/v27i02/11-26.
Barlow, A. E. L. & Villarejo, M. (2004). Making a difference for minorities: Evaluation of an
educational enrichment program. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41(9), 861-881. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20029.
Bauer, K. & Bennett, J. (2003). Alumni perceptions used to assess undergraduate research
experience. Journal of Higher Education, 72(2), 210-230. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2003.11777197.
Beckman, M. & Hensel, N. (2009). Making explicit the implicit. Council on Undergraduate
Research Quarterly, 29(4), 40-44.
Bhattacharyya, P., Chan, C. W. M., & Waraczynski, M. (2018). How novice researchers see
themselves grow. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning,
(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2018.120203.
Bowman, N. A. & Holmes, J. M. (2018). Getting off to a good start? First-year undergraduate
research experiences and student outcomes. Higher Education, 76, 17-33.
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10734-017-0191-4.
Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education (n.d.). Florida Atlantic
University. Retrieved July 28, 2020 from http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/
Carpi, A., Ronan, D., Falconer, H., & Lents, N. (2017). Cultivating minority scientists:
Undergraduate research increases self-efficacy and career ambitions for
underrepresented students in STEM. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 54(2),
-194. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21341.
Chamely-Wiik, D. (2013). Distinction through discovery: Quality enhancement plan.
Florida Atlantic University. Retrieved from http://www.fau.edu/ouri/Quality_%20Enhancement_Plan_1_11_13.pdf
Chamely-Wiik, D., Holman, M., Kirsch, P., Meeroff, D., & Peluso, J. (2014). Scaffolding the
development of student research skills for capstone experiences: A multi-disciplinary
Approach. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly, 34(4), 18-25
Chamely-Wiik D., & Usher, B. (2017) Research-intensive course designation. Council on
Undergraduate Research Quarterly, 37(4), 13-15.
Collins, T. W., Grineski, S. E., Shenberger, J., Morales, X., Morera, O. F., & Echegoyen, L. E. (2017). Undergraduate research participation is associated with improved student outcomes at a hispanic-serving institution. Journal of College Student Development, 58(4), 583-600. doi: 10.1353/csd.2017.0044.
Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). n.d.a “Mission and Vision.” Accessed April 21,
https://www.cur.org/who/organization/mission_and_vision/
Follmer, D. J., Zappe, S., Gomez, E., & Kumar, M. (2018). Student outcomes from undergraduate
research programs: Comparing models of Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs).
Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research, 1(1), 20-27.
Gilmore, J., Vieyra, M., Timmerman, B., Feldon, D., & Maher, M. (2015). The relationship
between undergraduate research participation and subsequent research performance of
early career STEM graduate students. The Journal of Higher Education, 86(6),
-863. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2015.11777386.
Hathaway, R., Nagda, B., & Gregerman, S. (2002). The relationship of undergraduate research
participation to graduate and professional education pursuit: An empirical study.
Journal of College Student Development, 43(5), 614-631.
Jones, M. T., Barlow, A. E. L., & Villarejo, M. (2010). Importance of undergraduate research for
minority persistence and achievement in biology. The Journal of Higher Education,
(1), 82-115. doi: 10.1353/jhe.0.0082.
Kardash, C. (2000). Evaluation of an undergraduate research experience: Perceptions of
undergraduate interns and their faculty mentors. Journal of Educational Psychology,
(1), 191-201.doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.92.1.191.
Kim, Y. K., & Sax, L. J. (2009). Student-faculty interaction in research universities: Differences
by student gender, race, social class, and first generation status. Research Higher
Education, 50, 437-459. doi: 10.1007/s11162-009-9127-x.
Kuh, G. D. (2008). High-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them,
and why they matter. Washington DC: Association of American Colleges and
Universities.
McDevitt, A. L., Patel, M. V., Rose, B., & Ellison, A. M. (2016). Insights into student gains
from undergraduate research using pre- and post-assessments. Bioscience, 66(12),
-1078.doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biw141.
Nagda, B., Gregerman, S., Jonides, J., von Hippel, W., & Lerner, S. (1998). Undergraduate
student-faculty research partnerships affect student retention. The Review of Higher
Education, 22(1), 55-72.
National Science Foundation (2017). Research experiences for undergraduates (REU) sites and
supplements: Program solicitation. Retrieved from
https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2005/nsf05592/nsf05592.htm
Pender, M., Marcotte, D. E., Domingo, M. R., & Maton, K. I. (2010). The STEM pipeline: The
role of summer research experience in minority students’ Ph.D. aspirations.
Educational Policy Analysis Archives, 18(30), 1-36.
Russell, S., Hancock, M., & McCullough, J. (2007). Benefits of undergraduate research.
Science, 316, 548-549. doi: 10.1126/science.1140384.
Sell, A. J., Naginey, A., & Stanton, C.A. (2018). The Impact of Undergraduate Research on Academic Success. Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research, 1(3), 19-29.
Seymour, E., Hunter, A. B., Laursen, S. L., & DeAntoni, T. (2004). Establishing the benefits of research experiences for undergraduates in the sciences: First findings from a three‐year study. Science education, 88(4), 493-534. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.10131.
Thiry, H., Weston, T. J., Laursen, S. L., & Hunter, A. (2012). The benefits of multi-year
research experiences: Differences in novice and experienced students’ reported gains
from Undergraduate Research. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 11, 260-272.
doi: 10.1187/cbe.11-11-0098.
Wolkow, T. D., Jenkins, J., Durrenberger, L., Swanson-Hoyle, K., & Hines, L. M. (2019). One
early course-based undergraduate research experience produces sustainable
knowledge gains, but only transient perception gains. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 20(2). doi: 10.1128/jmbe.v20i2.1679.
Zydney, A., Bennett, J., Shahid, A., & Bauer, K. (2002). Impact of undergraduate
research experience in engineering, Journal of Engineering Education, 91(2),
-157. doi: 10.1002/j.2168-9830.2002.tb00687.x