A Postgraduate Researcher — Undergraduate Interview Scheme: Enhancing Research-Teaching Linkages to Mutual Benefit

Figures & data

Table 1 Undergraduate reactions to the mentored project (Likert scale values 1, 2 = agree; 3 = neutral; 4, 5 = disagree)

Statement	Percentage responses (n = 26)
	Agree	Neutral	Disagree
a) The project gave me a good idea of the kind of research going on at Glasgow University.	54	27	19
b) The project gave me a good idea of what it would be like to be a full-time researcher.	50	15	35
c) Doing this project made me want to become a researcher.	31	42	27
d) I found it quite easy to grasp what my mentor’s project was all about.	42	15	42
e) It was really frustrating working in a group because it was hard to get everyone together.	27	8	65
f) Before doing this project, I had no idea that Glasgow University does much science research.	31	15	54
g) I found the research my mentor was doing pretty boring.	19	19	62

Table 2 Reactions to the different outputs of the mentored project (Likert scale values 1, 2 = low; 3 = medium; 4, 5 = high)

Reactions to outputs		Percentage responses (n = 26)
		Low	Medium	High
a) Level of interest
	Journalistic interview	27	23	50
	Poster	4	23	73
	TV programme	0	8	92
b) Level of difficulty/challenge
	Journalistic interview	20	44	36
	Poster	23	46	31
	TV programme	12	31	58

Table 3 Reactions of Mentors (Likert scale values 1, 2 = agree; 3 = neutral; 4, 5 = disagree)

Statement	Responses (n =4)
	Agree	Neutral	Disagree
a) The students asked me sensible questions about my work.	4	0	0
b) The students found it very hard to under-stand the work I am doing.	0	2	2
c) The students wanted to find out more about my personal life/why I was doing research than I wanted to talk about.	0	0	2
d) It was very difficult to get the students organised to meet up with me.	1	1	2
e) I found it a very useful exercise, trying to make my research clear to first/second year undergraduates	3	1	0
f) I think it would be useful to build an exercise of this kind into postgraduate training for all PG students	1	2	1