Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Does independent research with a faculty member enhance four-year graduation and graduate/professional degree plans? Convergent results with different analytical methods

  • Published:
Higher Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examines the effects of undergraduate students participating in independent research with faculty members on four-year graduation and graduate/professional degree aspirations. We analyzed four-year longitudinal data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education using multiple analytic techniques. The findings support the positive, net link between undergraduate research and fourth-year graduate degree aspirations and suggest that such involvement may have potential as a powerful programmatic and pedagogical tool.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Detailed descriptions of all variables are available upon request to the first author.

References

  • Astin, A. W. (1993). What matters in college: Four critical years revisited. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

  • Bauer, K. W., & Bennett, J. S. (2003). Alumni perceptions used to assess undergraduate research experience. The Journal of Higher Education, 72(2), 210–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blaich, C. F. (2011). Wabash national study: Overview. Retrieved from http://www.liberalarts.wabash.edu/.

  • Boyer Commissionon Educating Undergraduates in the Research University. (1998). Reinventing undergraduate education: A blueprint for America’s research universities. Stony Brook: State University of New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brownell, J. E., & Swaner, L. E. (2010). Five high-impact practices: Research on learning outcomes, completion, and quality. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cabrera, A. (1994). Logistic regression analysis in higher education. In J. Smart (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. 10, pp. 225–250). New York: Agathon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Council on undergraduate research. (2013). About CUR. Retrieved from: http://www.cur.org/about_cur/.

  • Elgren, T., & Hensel, N. (2006). Undergraduate research experiences: Synergies between scholarship and teaching. Peer review. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster, E., Wiley-Exley, E., & Bickman, L. (2009). Old wine in new skins: The sensitivity of established findings to new methods. Evaluation Review, 33, 281–306.

  • Glynn, R., Schneeweiss, S., & Sturmer, T. (2006). Indications for propensity scores and review of their use in pharmacoepidemiology. Basic Clinical Pharmacological Epidemiology, 98, 253–259.

  • Hanson, J., Weeden, D., Pascarella, E., & Blaich, C. (2012). Do liberal arts colleges make students more liberal? Some initial evidence. Higher Education, 64, 355–369.

  • Katkin, W. (2003). The Boyer Commission Report and its impact on undergraduate education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 93, 19–38. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

  • Kilgo, C. A., Sheets, J. K. E., & Pascarella, E. T. (2014). The link between high-impact practices and student learning: Some longitudinal evidence. Higher Education, 69(4), 509–525.

  • Kinkead, J. (2005). Learning through inquiry: An overview of undergraduate research. In J. Kinkead (Ed.), Valuing and supporting undergraduate research (pp. 5–18). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

  • Kinzie, J. (2010). Undergraduate research: High impact practice for all students (power point slides). Presented at the Association of American Colleges and Universities working conference, undergraduate research across the disciplines. Durham, NC. Retrieved from: http://www.aacu.org/meetings/undergraduate_research/2010/resources.cfm

  • Kuh, G. D. (2008). High-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuh, G. D., & O’Donnell, K. (2013). Ensuring quality and taking high-impact practices to scale. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merkel, C. A. (2003). Undergraduate research at the research universities. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 93, 39–53. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

  • National Survey of Student Engagement. (2007). Experiences that matter: Enhancing student learning and success. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pascarella, E. (1985). College environmental influences on learning and cognitive development: A critical review and synthesis.  In J. Smart (Ed.), Higher education:  Handbook of theory and research (pp. 1–61). New York:  Agathon.

  • Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. (1991). How college affects students: Findings and insights from twenty years of research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

  • Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. (2005). How college affects students (Vol. 2): A third decade of research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

  • Padgett, R., Salisbury, M., An, B., & Pascarella, E. (2010). Required, practical, or unnecessary? An examination and demonstration of propensity score matching using longitudinal secondary data. New Directions for Institutional Research–Assessment Supplement (pp. 29–42). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

  • Pascarella, E., Salisbury, M., & Blaich, C. (2013). Design and analysis in college impact research: Which counts more? Journal of College Student Development, 54, 329–335.

  • Prince, M. J., Felder, R. M., & Brent, R. (2007). Does faculty research improve undergraduate teaching? An analysis of existing and potential synergies. Journal of Engineering Education, 96(4), 283–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raudenbush, S., & Bryk, A. (2001). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, C., & DesJardins, S. (2009). The use of matching methods in higher education research: Answering whether attendance at a 2-year institution results in differences in educational attainment. In J. Smart (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (pp. 47–104). New York: Springer Science + Business Media.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Russell, S. H., Hancock, M. P., & McCullough, J. (2007). Benefits of undergraduate research. Education Forum: Science Magazine, 316, 548–549.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seymour, E., Hunter, A.-B., Laursen, S. L., & Deantoni, T. (2004). Establishing the benefits of research experiences for undergraduates in the sciences: First findings from a three-year study. Science Education, 88, 493–534.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shadish, W., Clark, M., & Steiner, P. (2008). Can nonrandomized experiments yield accurate answers? A randomized experiment comparing random and nonrandom assignments. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 103, 1334–1356.

  • Shah, B., Laupacis, A., Hux, J., & Austin, C. (2005). Propensity score methods gave similar results to traditional regression modeling in observational studies: A systematic review. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 56, 550–559.

  • Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinto, V. (2012). Completing college: Rethinking institutional action. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Winship, C., & Radbill, L. (1994). Sampling weights and regression analysis. Sociological Methods and Research, 23, 230–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zanutto, E. (2006). A comparison of propensity score and linear regression analysis of complex data. Journal of Data Analysis, 4, 67–91.

Download references

Acknowledgments

The research on which this study was based was supported by a generous grant from the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College to the Center for Research on Undergraduate Education at the University of Iowa.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cindy A. Kilgo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kilgo, C.A., Pascarella, E.T. Does independent research with a faculty member enhance four-year graduation and graduate/professional degree plans? Convergent results with different analytical methods. High Educ 71, 575–592 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9925-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9925-3

Keywords

Navigation