Does exposure to university researchers improve undergraduate perceptions of research?: A quasi cluster-randomized controlled trial

ABSTRACT

This study explores the impact of talks by university researchers in different formats on students’ perceptions of research. Undergraduate students (N = 222) were randomly assigned to watch research talks via video recording (n = 78), research talks presented live (n = 67), or a control group (n = 77). Students completed pre-intervention (Time 1) and post-intervention (Time 2) questionnaires on their perceptions of 1) university-specific research, 2) psychology-specific research, and 3) general research. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) testing revealed that at Time 2, the video intervention group had significantly more positive perceptions about research compared to the control group. Several barriers to research involvement were noted, including competitiveness, lack of interest, lack of knowledge, and time constraints. Enhancing the undergraduate curriculum by integrating university researchers into the classroom is a potentially innovative way to introduce and promote research interests in students.

KEYWORDS:

• Educational development
• research integration
• pedagogy
• undergraduate research
• higher education

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Ross McMillan from TEDx York for helping to create the professionally recorded TEDx style videos, as well as Dr. Rebecca Jubis for allowing us to incorporate our study into her lectures. We would also like to thank Dr. Michaela Hynie, Dr. Laurence Harris, Dr. Alexandra Rutherford, Dr. Jonathan Weiss, and Dr. Joel Katz for taking the time out of their busy schedules to create and deliver their talks for this study. This research was funded by York University’s Academic Innovation Fund Grant (2015) awarded to Dr. Rebecca Pillai Riddell.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the York University’s Academic Innovation Fund Grant.

Notes on contributors

Hannah Gennis

Hannah Gennis is a Doctoral Student in the Clinical-Developmental Psychology Programme at York University. She conducts research in the Opportunities to Understand Childhood Hurt Laboratory, where she studies young children’s self-regulatory processes in response to painful procedures. Her research is funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship.

Miranda DiLorenzo

Miranda DiLorenzo is a Doctoral Student in the Clinical-Developmental Psychology Programme at York University. She is in the Opportunities to Understand Childhood Hurt Laboratory, where she studies caregiver and infant co-regulatory responses to distress. Her work is supported by a Canadian Institute of Health Research Doctoral Fellowship.

Rebecca Pillai Riddell

Dr. Rebecca Pillai Riddell is an Associate Vice-President Research at York University, alongside being a Full Professor and Director of the Opportunities to Understand Childhood Hurt Laboratory (OUCH Lab). She has been studying the development and assessment (behavioural, physiological, cortical) of young children’s responses to painful procedures for over 20 years, with a specific focus on parent factors.

Rebecca Spiegel

Rebecca Spiegel is currently a graduate student at York University in the psychology department. Her research focuses on understanding brain networks during rest and how they relate to working memory performance.

Jennifer Connolly

Jennifer Connolly is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at York University and Department Chair. Her research examines relationships and resilience in youth with a focus on the long-term effects of early adversity. Current projects examine dating violence in young adult relationships, sex trafficking of underage girls and models of therapeutic foster care for survivors.

Jodi Martin

Jodi Martin is an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream in the Department of Psychology at York University, Canada. Her teaching focuses on undergraduate statistics and research methods. She also studies the impact of innovative active and experiential teaching methods on student engagement and learning.