Undergraduate students’ perceptions and
experiences of research
Demi Sheppey (Research Assistant)
Dr. Vanessa Cui (Learning and Teaching Officer)
Centre for Academic Development and Quality (CADQ)
Session outline
• Presenting some findings from students focus groups on
research
• Highlight some interesting discussion points
• Encourage discussions and reflections on current practices
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Context – value of university education
• Research plays a vital part in disciplinary learning and teaching
(Fry, Ketteridge and Marshall, 2009)
• Research informed learning and teaching offers a range of
benefits (Short, Healey and Romer, 2010)
• Undergraduate students should experience research (Jenkins,
2009)
But…
• How do our students understand research?
• How do our students experience research?
• How do our students value research?
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Research project outline
A small scale project to explore undergraduate students’
perceptions and experiences across the university:
• Nov – Dec 2014
• Final year students
• Six focus groups arranged
based on Biglan’s (1973)
and Belcher’s (1994)
discipline models
• Semi-structured focus
groups on their academic
disciplines and associated
learning, teaching and
research.
Discipline
Course
Participants
Hard Pure
(HP)
Biochemistry
Chemistry
Biomedical Science
5
Soft Pure
(SP)
Economics
Psychology
Sociology
Psychology with Sociology
6
Hard Applied
(HA)
Animal Biology
Zoo Biology
Environmental conservation
3
Exercise Nutrition and health
Sport and Exercise Science
Sport Exercise and Management
3
Soft Applied
(SA)
Design for Film and TV
Fashion Knitwear
Fine Art
Product Design
4
Combined
(Comb)
Early Years and Educational Development 4
Global Studies and TESOL
4
Global and European Studies
Understandings
of research
Experiences
of research
Value
of research
5
Understandings
of research
Experiences
of research
Value
of research
6
“What is research in…?”
research is in the labs…you have a certain amount of
participants and have a certain procedure.
…anything we can do to save the world.
Helping prepare for the future increasing
population, decreasing resources.
research in xxx is based around the exposure and
development of new and old theories that are able to explain
a specific human behaviour.
to further improve education…research can be carried
out in numerous forms from education in prisons all
the way to primary schools.
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Understandings
of research
Experiences
of research
Value
of research
8
What’s your experience with research?
There is a good balance between the two
(research and practice), first year is settling
in, second year is about getting you to know
how to research properly and this year is
about going out on your own and researching.
First and second year we didn’t do research, it’s about learning
theories and application…when it came to final year they gave us
the research project, it was like ‘woah what’s this’. We had some
lectures on how to carry out research methods, what literature
reviews actually are, because we didn’t know. We talked to each
other a lot… because we’re all in it together. Talking to them
about what they’ve done aligns everyone’s thoughts and then
we’d go back to the tutor.
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We did research methods all the way through from 1st year it’s
been a big part of our assessments and how we understand it. But
I feel like some lecturers, weren’t encouraging you to make essays
really good even though its say 1,500 words. It was kind of like oh
well nobody else is going to see it. Now it’s our dissertation I feel
it’s a massive jump because it could be seen by many people and
outside organisations.
In first year the first piece of work I was
given I had to write an essay on dopamine
receptors, I’d never heard of. I went to the
library and looked for the Biochemistry
section, it wasn’t even on that it was
pharmacology. I asked my tutor for help it
was such a specific thing there were whole
books on just that. It’s a lot wider and
broader than I thought.
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We get the choice to do a literature investigation where you
research all previous literature or conducting your own project. I’m
doing olfactory enrichment in bears… I’m hoping that when I get
my data I will be able to say which scents worked better for them,
then I can tell the zoo and the zoo can implement it.
Its making and research. They go side by side. You put
your research into portfolio pages, writing research and
visuals, critiquing and analysing your work and references
to other artists and the contemporary world outside, all of
the work you create you have to narrow it down to 6 best
pieces you have created all year and that is what you
show...
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Understandings
of research
Experiences
of research
Value
of research
12
You always get better marks by having other research and
bringing in something new, if you just put in exactly what
the lecturers taught you, then you don’t really get the
marks, you need to have done the reading so that they
know you’ve actually done it and have a unique view on it.
There is a lot of emphasis on doing your own
reading, work that interests us, which is
good for up here (mind). When we go back
into the working world which we all have
certain fears about, I know that from reading
research I can apply it.
This year we have started going to
workshops and conferences when you
find the area you‘re interested in, it’s
really good for networking as well.
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Mine is looking into other artists in
design and visual culture, just being
inspired by things that have been
made and created, books films
everything.
Yeah it has to be that
way to develop our
own sense of style.
There is a possibility of getting your work published
depending on how good the work is. Although it isn’t
likely there is a possibility, I know some lecturers are
intent on getting the research published. It is an
incentive to do better.
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Concluding thoughts
• Value of university education
• Changing landscapes of HE
• Changing roles of students and academics
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References
• Biglan, A., (1973) The characteristics of subject matter in academic areas, Journal
of Applied Psychology. 57(3), Jun 1973, 195-203.
• Becher, T., (1994), The significance of disciplinary differences, Studies in Higher
Eudcation 19 (2), pp. 151-161.
• Fry, H., Ketteridge, S., and Marshall, S., (2009) A handbook for Teaching and
Learning in Higher Education. Routledge. London
• Jenkins, A., (2009) Research Teaching Relationships: Enhancing Graduate
Attributes,
Scottish Quality Assurance Agency.
http://www.alanjenkins.info/publications/research-teaching-linkages-enhancinggraduate-attributes-overview.pdf
• Jenkins. A., Healey, M., and Zetter, R., (2007) Linking Research and Teaching in
Disciplines and Departments. York: Higher Education Academy
• Short, C., Healey, M., and Romer, W., (2010, The changing awareness, experience
and perception of research by undergraduates: the case of final year students at a
new university, 2002-2009, Learning Exchange.
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Appendix Research Informed Teaching Nexus
Jenkins, Healey and Zetter, 2007, p. 29
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