TY - JOUR
T1 - Research supervisors and undergraduate students’ perceived gains from undergraduate research experiences in the social sciences
AU - Ruth, Alissa
AU - Brewis, Alexandra
AU - Beresford, Melissa
AU - Stojanowski, Christopher M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) enhance student retention, provide transferrable skills, and prepare students for advanced graduate study. The majority of these benefits, however, are concentrated within the natural and biological sciences; disciplines with historical under-representation of non-male students. If offered in the social sciences, UREs would be more accessible to women, students of colour, and first-generation students. But there are relatively few models and little research to confirm that UREs in the social sciences offer similar benefits to students. Using mixed methods data, we compare students’ (n = 122) and research supervisors’ (n = 56) perceptions of success in meeting learning outcomes for students participating in social science UREs. The combination of quantitative and qualitative survey data shows that students gain skills in research (e.g. data collection, management, and analysis) as well as other transferrable skills helpful in various career paths (e.g. collaboration, time management, problem-solving). We also demonstrate that faculty supervisors perceive significant benefits from overseeing UREs, such as enhancing professional development and increased job satisfaction. These findings demonstrate the need for expanding UREs beyond the biological/natural sciences where they have been focused to date.
AB - Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) enhance student retention, provide transferrable skills, and prepare students for advanced graduate study. The majority of these benefits, however, are concentrated within the natural and biological sciences; disciplines with historical under-representation of non-male students. If offered in the social sciences, UREs would be more accessible to women, students of colour, and first-generation students. But there are relatively few models and little research to confirm that UREs in the social sciences offer similar benefits to students. Using mixed methods data, we compare students’ (n = 122) and research supervisors’ (n = 56) perceptions of success in meeting learning outcomes for students participating in social science UREs. The combination of quantitative and qualitative survey data shows that students gain skills in research (e.g. data collection, management, and analysis) as well as other transferrable skills helpful in various career paths (e.g. collaboration, time management, problem-solving). We also demonstrate that faculty supervisors perceive significant benefits from overseeing UREs, such as enhancing professional development and increased job satisfaction. These findings demonstrate the need for expanding UREs beyond the biological/natural sciences where they have been focused to date.
KW - UREs
KW - Undergraduate education
KW - mentoring
KW - social science
KW - student research
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U2 - 10.1080/13603116.2023.2288642
DO - 10.1080/13603116.2023.2288642
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85178187717
SN - 1360-3116
JO - International Journal of Inclusive Education
JF - International Journal of Inclusive Education
ER -