College Students' Perceptions of Factors Influencing Research Participation

Abstract

The study examined the factors that college students perceive to influence their ability to do research. Participants were 160 students from a teachers' college (males=71; females=81; mean age=27; SD=5.32). Data were collected using an open ended survey. For data analysis MS Excel was used. Students perceived a need for support in basic research processes: problem statement, method, analysis and report writing. Participants perceived plagiarism of projects to be rampant. A policy on supervising student research could enable students in their research efforts.

Keywords:

• students' perceptions
• factors
• research
• policy