Exploring Variance in Undergraduate Research Participation: A Quantitative and Qualitative Investigation among Students with Differing Levels of Involvement

Andrew Olewnik; Monica Lynn Miles; Hasan Asif

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM) Technical Session 16
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/47447

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Paper Authors

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Andrew Olewnik University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

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Andrew Olewnik is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at the University at Buffalo. His research includes undergraduate engineering education with focus on engineering design, problem-based learning, co-curricular involvement and its impact on professional formation, and the role of reflection practices in supporting engineering undergraduates as they transition from student to professional.

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Monica Lynn Miles University at Buffalo, The State University of New York orcid.org/0000-0003-0006-1842

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Monica L. Miles, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Education at the University at Buffalo in the School of Engineering and applied sciences. Dr. Miles considers herself a scholar-mother-activist-entrepreneur where all her identities work in harmony as she reshapes her community. She is a critical scholar who seeks transformative solutions to cultivate liberated and environmentally just environments for Black people, and other minoritized individuals. She believes in fostering racial solidarity and finding her own path in the movement.

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Hasan Asif University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

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Hasan Asif, is a graduate from the University at Buffalo in Data Science, possesses a keen interest in data transformation and gaining insights from data, includes expertise in setting up statistical tests, transforming data, and creating visualizations. He has demonstrated his skills by architecting systems to analyze the longitudinal participation of students throughout their studies.

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Abstract

This exploratory research study is motivated by a broader interest and need to understand the impact of undergraduate research on the student experience. Undergraduate research is recognized as a high-impact educational practice but our understanding of who participates and how they benefit is limited. In this study we considered data from a professional development survey (PDS) intended to support students in basic forms of self-assessment and reflection on co- curricular activities, including undergraduate research. We considered data from a large R1 institution in the northeast for a cohort of students who were first-year students in 2015-16 through their (nominal) time as seniors in 2018-19. We were particularly interested in understanding what, if any, differences there were among three student groups, those who never participated in research (G1, N = 700), those who participated during their first-year but did not continue (G2, N = 31), and those who participated in their-first year and continued in subsequent years (G3, N = 20). We considered three fundamental questions: 1) What differences, if any, are there among these three groups on traditional academic measures (high school GPA, SAT scores, undergraduate GPA)? 2) What differences, if any, are there among students in G2 and G3 as reflected in their PDS responses? To answer the first research question, statistical analysis was conducted on deidentified data obtained from the institution; one way ANOVA was used to compare groups on their high school GPA, SAT scores, and term GPAs. To answer the second research question, we performed a thematic analysis of PDS data, inclusive of two open response items. We found that there is a statistically significant difference on academic measures among students who never participated (G1) and those who did (G2 and G3). There was no statistically significant difference between students who left research (G2) and those who continued (G3). We noted qualitative differences in the open responses of students in who left research (G2) and those who continued (G3). Themes for students who left research after one year included collaboration within the experience and narrow descriptions of roles, responsibilities, and research impact. The themes for those who continued included deeper descriptions of roles and responsibilities inclusive of technical skills and equipment, and deeper descriptions of individual learning compared with those students who left. This exploratory study has implications related to how we might think about recruiting, onboarding, and supporting students in undergraduate research, especially early in their academic journey. Selecting students based on more than traditional academic measures is an important an area that needs greater investigation. Additionally, once students are engaged in undergraduate research, developing support structures to help them in understanding the nature of their involvement, value of their contributions, and educative value of the experience, regardless of their decision to continue with research or not, is needed. Development and integration of evidence-based supports will require significant investigation given the varied curricular and co-curricular spaces in which undergraduate research occurs.

Citation
Format

Olewnik, A., & Miles, M. L., & Asif, H. (2024, June), Exploring Variance in Undergraduate Research Participation: A Quantitative and Qualitative Investigation among Students with Differing Levels of Involvement Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47447

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - This exploratory research study is motivated by a broader interest and need to understand the
impact of undergraduate research on the student experience. Undergraduate research is
recognized as a high-impact educational practice but our understanding of who participates and
how they benefit is limited. In this study we considered data from a professional development
survey (PDS) intended to support students in basic forms of self-assessment and reflection on co-
curricular activities, including undergraduate research. We considered data from a large R1
institution in the northeast for a cohort of students who were first-year students in 2015-16
through their (nominal) time as seniors in 2018-19. We were particularly interested in understanding what, if any, differences there were among three student groups, those who never participated in research (G1, N = 700), those who participated during their first-year but did not continue (G2, N = 31), and those who participated in their-first year and continued in subsequent years (G3, N = 20). We considered three fundamental questions: 1) What differences, if any, are there among these three groups on traditional academic measures (high school GPA, SAT scores, undergraduate GPA)? 2) What differences, if any, are there among students in G2 and G3 as reflected in their PDS responses? To answer the first research question, statistical analysis was conducted on deidentified data obtained from the institution; one way ANOVA was used to compare groups on their high school GPA, SAT scores, and term GPAs. To answer the second research question, we performed a thematic analysis of PDS data, inclusive of two open response items. We found that there is a statistically significant difference on academic measures among students who never participated (G1) and those who did (G2 and G3). There was no
statistically significant difference between students who left research (G2) and those who continued (G3). We noted qualitative differences in the open responses of students in who left research (G2) and those who continued (G3). Themes for students who left research after one year included collaboration within the experience and narrow descriptions of roles, responsibilities, and research impact. The themes for those who continued included deeper descriptions of roles and responsibilities inclusive of technical skills and equipment, and deeper descriptions of individual learning compared with those students who left. This exploratory study has implications related to how we might think about recruiting, onboarding, and supporting students in undergraduate research, especially early in their academic journey. Selecting students based on more than traditional academic measures is an important an area that needs greater investigation. Additionally, once students are engaged in undergraduate research, developing support structures to help them in understanding the nature of their involvement, value of their contributions, and educative value of the experience, regardless of their decision to continue with research or not, is needed. Development and integration of evidence-based supports will require significant investigation given the varied curricular and co-curricular spaces in which undergraduate research occurs.

AU  - Andrew Olewnik
AU  - Monica Lynn Miles
AU  - Hasan Asif
CY  - Portland, Oregon
DA  - 2024/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Exploring Variance in Undergraduate Research Participation: A Quantitative and Qualitative Investigation among Students with Differing Levels of Involvement
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/47447
ER  -