This study explores the sense of efficacy, perceptions of benefits, and concerns among high school students participating in an AP Research course during the 2021-2022 academic year. The investigation includes an evaluation of students' satisfaction with course materials and delivery. Data, gathered through surveys and individual essays, underwent…

Internal and external drivers have seen institutions of higher education place increasing emphasis on the links between teaching and research in their curricula. Despite the apparent positive trend towards research-oriented undergraduate programs, there are a number of documented challenges or "risks" to incorporating research into…

Despite efforts to improve retention and degree completion rates, American higher education suffers from a persistent social-class achievement gap (Stephens, Hamedani, and Destin, 2014). This gap is often explored quantitatively through the examination of academic outcomes of first-generation college students (i.e. students who parents have not…

Information literacy (IL) is a multifaceted skill that encompasses information seeking, identifying research questions, finding answers to research questions, and then evaluating and using information appropriately (ALA 2001). Much research has been conducted on the low level of IL found amongst high school students. Failure to make connections…

Engaging undergraduates in research is essential for teaching them to think like scientists, and it has become a desired component of classroom and laboratory instruction. Research projects that span an entire semester expose students to a variety of concepts and techniques and allow students to use experiments to learn scientific principles,…

If quantitative criticalism is thought to be a bridge between positivist epistemologies prevalent in quantitative work and social constructionism often found in critical qualitative work, then this bridge is fraught with challenges and tensions. This chapter examines the methodological issues, questions, and tensions that emerged from a research…

Post-matric students from under-resourced (historically disadvantaged) black high schools generally encounter difficulties in their academic work at university. The study reported here was intended to empower first year (post-matric) students from these schools with basic research skills in a bid to counteract the effects of their high school…

Discusses critical thinking skills needed for student research projects using the Internet. Notes the difference between an open mind and an empty mind; suggests a strategy for teaching students the difference. Explains techniques students should learn before trying keyword searches on the Internet and discusses ways to overcome obstacles. (AEF)

Critical thinking exercises incorporated into an undergraduate course of bibliographic instruction encourage students to analyze and evaluate information and retrieval methods, thus enabling them to become more effective information users. (AEF)

The development and design of a Michigan State University program providing research training to graduate medical students are described. The program addresses topics of critical reading skills, computer database searching skills, basic research methodology, and scientific communication skills. Since its inception, student scholarly activity has…