A Study on Research Motivation Among Undergraduate Engineering Students: A Case Study
Research is a long-term investment, which will bring visibility and revenues for the country in the long run. In the context of product and service based organizations, research helps to know what products and services are actually needed by the customers, which is a cheaper option of manufacturing products, etc. It helps organizations to decide on the right price for the products and services as industry standard. Due to lack of research, Indian products fail to bridge the gap between the product or services and the faith of the customers. Research can be done by anyone, but academic institutions provide the necessary ambiance with the guidance of faculty, infrastructure and other resources needed for it. This research was conducted to identify motivation among under graduate students to pursue research at Regional Institute of Technology. The study focus was to find out if there were significant statistical differences on motivation factors. Mixed research approaches such as exploratory and descriptive were adopted. Non-probability sampling with convenience sampling method was used. Sample size comprised of three hundred and forty six subjects. The questionnaire was used in the survey for measuring motivation and was self-administered .Data collected was analyzed by using the statistical tests such as weighted arithmetic mean, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and Chi-square analysis. The results indicated that motivation scores were higher among students. Interestingly, no significant differences were found on motivation attributed to gender level. Proper guidance from faculty and institution’s infrastructure motivates students to pursue research at under graduate level. In conclusion, investment in research helps students to develop critical thinking ability and problem solving attitudes. The paper concludes with few recommendations and suggestions for future studies.
What can students learn from final year research projects?
Abstract Final year research projects are a feature of most biosciences undergraduate courses. However, in a climate of increasing student numbers there is growing interest in providing alternatives to such resource-intensive projects. This interest raises some key questions. In particular, what do students learn from traditional final year projects and can alternative teaching activities be found to achieve all or some of these learning aims? This report follows from a recent Learning and Teaching Support Network (LTSN) Biosciences workshop held in the UK: ‘Alternative Final Year Projects’. At the start of the workshop results from an educational research study were used to present a characterisation of student learning on ‘traditional’ final year research projects. This report summarises these findings and aims to promote a broad discussion about what traditional projects achieve, and what alternatives might be able to offer.
UNDERGRADUATE SCIENCE STUDENTS' IMAGES OF SCIENCE
This article describes views about the nature of science held by a small sample of science students in their final year at the university. In a longitudinal interview study, 11 students were asked questions about the nature of science during the time they were involved in project work. Statements about the nature of science were characterized and coded using a framework drawing on aspects of the epistemology and sociology of science. The framework in this study has three distinct areas: the relationship between data and knowledge claims, the nature of lines of scientific enquiry, and science as a social activity. The students in our sample tended to see knowledge claims as resting solely on empirical grounds, although some students mentioned social factors as also being important. Many of the students showed significant development in their understanding of how lines of scientific enquiry are influenced by theoretical developments within a discipline, over the 5–8 month period of their project work. Issues relating to scientists working as a community were underrepresented in the students' discussions about science. Individual students drew upon a range of views about the nature of science, depending on the scientific context being discussed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 36: 201–219, 1999