Understanding Undergraduate Research Experiences from the Student Perspective: A Phenomenological Study of a Summer Student Research Program.
Undergraduate research programs are becoming more prevalent, but research on the processes and outcomes is limited and deals largely with perceptions of student learning gains. This paper adds to the literature by describing undergraduate research activities from the student perspective. A phenomenological approach was used to analyze journals kept by 17 students during a summer research program. Results indicate that intellectual stimulation and personal relationships with other students and faculty were the most important elements of the research experience. Specific learning gains were not emphasized by student participants. Details of these results are presented to inform faculty mentors and academic administrators in the design and conduct of student research programs. Introduction Summer student research programs are appearing at more colleges and universities each year. Such programs typically involve students from several disciplines who conduct independent scholarly projects with guidance from faculty mentors. The research experience is a powerful complement to conventional classroom learning, giving students valuable preparation for graduate education or careers. With the prevalence and experience of such programs have come greater expectations for quality and impacts. But understanding, evaluating, and refining summer student research programs can be a complex endeavor. The complexity of summer student research programs is important because of the interactions between the people (students, mentors, and administrators) and the tasks (research, dissemination, and collective activities). Complexity makes analysis and change difficult, but it is the complexity that makes multi-disciplinary student research programs so valuable. Living systems like student programs have emergent properties (O'Connor and McDermott, 1997) that cannot always be predicted. By definition, one of the most valuable features of research programs is the unpredictable learning environment. Other factors include the relationships that form between individuals, learning about scholarship in various disciplines, and the practice of presenting work in different formats. Each participating student has different abilities, expectations, and experiences within the program, which are features that must be embraced. Evaluation and refinement of programs is driven by the assessment approach and the indicators used. In business, outcomes center on financial performance, but in undergraduate education measures may include graduation rates, job placement, and graduate school enrollment. Colleges and universities also look at inputs, such as grade point averages and standardized test scores. Kaplan and Norton (1996) argue that looking at outputs and inputs to evaluate an organization leads to incomplete assessment: processes and organizational learning are also important. When an educational organization focuses not on absolute outcomes (e.g. GRE scores) but on relative change (students reaching their individual potentials), the processes become especially important (Donald & Denison, 2001). Students who become involved in learning--rather than just taking classes--have fuller, more meaningful educational experiences (Kuh, 2003). Likewise, Haworth and Conrad (1997) found that student ownership of their educational experience is an essential indicator of quality in educational programs. The present research adds to the existing literature on student research programs by establishing an understanding of the experience students have in summer student research programs. The discussion is intended to be of value to faculty mentors and program administrators in their efforts to design research experiences. Review of Literature While the literature on student research programs is not extensive, there are important concepts that help frame understanding of what occurs in undergraduate research activities. …