The effectiveness of undergraduate research programs: A follow-up study

Graduate work, especially the Ph.D., requires extensive research, a skill not often emphasized in undergraduate programs. Although not much is known about all the factors that influence undergraduate students´ decision to pursue or not pursue graduate studies, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, recent research indicates that many undergraduates feel unprepared for graduate studies and view the research requirement as a deterrent. Opportunities for undergraduates to engage in research have increased recently as a result of federally funded programs including Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs), McNair Achievement Programs and Bioengineering and Bioinformatics Summer Institutes (BBSI). Students work in research laboratories during the summer, interact with faculty and graduate students, learning hands-on how to do research. The Attitudes toward Graduate Studies Survey was developed to help evaluate the effectiveness of these programs at New Jersey Institute of Technology. Students who participate in these programs show increases in their attitudes toward graduate studies and have significantly higher attitudes than students who do not participate. Often students indicate confidence in their ability to pursue graduate studies but only a small percentage think that they will have the skills necessary to begin a Ph.D. program when they complete their undergraduate degree. A possible conclusion is that even though students feel confident in their academic abilities they do not feel confident enough about their research skills to complete a Ph.D. program, making research programs such as REU´s, BBSI and McNair, necessary. A follow-up study of students who attended these programs at NJIT over the last decade has found that participation in these programs increases attendance in graduate programs.