Replication of a course-based undergraduate research experience for music students

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Research skill development is a current need in music therapy education. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) may address this need. The purpose of this study was (a) to replicate a CURE for students enrolled in a required music psychology course at a university in the United States, (b) to measure student outcomes, and (c) to compare results with the original study.

Method

Students (N = 17) completed the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment (URSSA) and the Research Skill Development Questionnaire (RSDQ), as outcome measures. Likert-type items on the URSSA were analyzed using descriptive statistics; open-ended responses were evaluated through content analysis. Independent-sample t tests were used to compare average scores in the URSSA subscales (Thinking Like a Scientist, Personal Gains, Research Skills, and Attitudes and Behaviors) between the original and replication study.

Results

No significant differences were found between the original and current studies, indicating the replication of results. Similar to the original study, open-ended responses indicated an interest in graduate school, greater understanding of research, appreciation of hands-on experience, and plans to use research in their career. For suggestions for improvement, most students in both studies indicated an interest in being more involved and learning more about statistics. In the current study, students’ RSDQ pre and posttest subscale scores showed significant improvement in Research Dispositions (paired-sample t tests).

Discussion

These results indicate the feasibility of using CURE projects to support research skill development and the feasibility of replicating a protocolized experience in a university program with different research traditions and resources.

KEYWORDS:

• Course-based undergraduate research experience
• undergraduate research
• research skill development
• bounded research
• replication

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the student participants in the research study.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

¹ A doctoral university with “very high research activity” is a university that confers more than 20 research/scholarship doctoral degrees and/or 30 professional practice doctoral degrees in at least two programs per year, and that has at least $5 million dollars in research expenditures per year (Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, 2018).

² Master’s college/university refers to institutions where at least 50 Master’s degree but fewer than 20 doctoral degrees are conferred per year. Bachelor’s college/university refers to institutions where 50% of the degrees are undergraduate, and fewer than 50 Master’s degree or 20 Doctoral degrees are conferred per year. (Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, 2018). Most music therapy programs in the US are housed in these types of institutions.

Additional information

Funding

Funding provided by the School of Music, Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts, Arizona State University, faculty start-up research fund.

Notes on contributors

Eugenia Hernandez-Ruiz

Eugenia Hernandez-Ruiz, PhD, MT-BC, is an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University. Her interests include clinical work and research with young children with ASD and their families, student research development, and music neuroscience.

Abbey L. Dvorak

Abbey L. Dvorak, PhD, MT-BC, is an Associate Professor of Music Therapy at the University of Kansas with interests in research skill development in higher education, specifically the use of course-based undergraduate research experiences.