Exploring the reasons for collaboration and cooperation among graduate student researchers

The future of engineering education research will depend on collaborations among educators, researchers, and students. Participation in research collaborations helps graduate students within the engineering education community gain an understanding of the challenges of such endeavors as well as various ways of overcoming those challenges. Over the course of their program, engineering education graduate students will collaborate with a variety of people, including faculty members, members of industry, and, in some cases, their fellow students. Research collaborations among graduate students provide a means to diversify interests, develop research skills, build relationships, and advance engineering education research. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that affect graduate students' willingness to participate in collaborative engineering education research with other graduate students. This research was conducted in two phases: a literature review and a pilot study. The first phase involved a literature review to provide insight about the barriers and bridges to multidisciplinary and dispersed collaborations. In the second phase of the study, we sought to gain an initial understanding of graduate students' perceptions of collaborative research. A pilot study was conducted at a graduate student research workshop, which was designed to help attendees develop research questions for collaborative research. Findings showed that while graduate students expressed great interest in pursuing collaborative research, they largely did not do so because of a lack of time, support, and concerns regarding conflict with potential collaborators. Suggestions to promote collaborative research among graduate students include providing specific venues online and at conferences to encourage inter-student interaction and facilitate collaborative work.