Portraits of Science Self-Efficacy: Four Undergraduate Women in a Summer Research Experience

Abstract

maximize the number of students involved in research. Our Behavioral Research Advancements in Neuroscience (BRAIN) research program tests the hypothesis that a team-based collaborative-learning model not only provides research opportunities for more students, but also produces outcomes at least

A Comparison of Internal Dispositions and Career Trajectories after Collaborative versus Apprenticed Research Experiences for Undergraduates

“…Although comprehensive and especially rich when considered together with our preliminary quantitative report ( Goode et al ., 2012 ) and our qualitative case study ( Britner et al ., 2012 ), this report has some limitations. Perhaps of greatest concern is the observation that increased scientific research self-efficacy during the program did not predict retention in a research career path.…”

“…Bandura (1977) described four sources of self-efficacy: mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and physiological/emotional states. On the basis of an in-depth qualitative analysis of four participants, students in our program attributed gains in self-efficacy to mastery experiences, such as engagement in tasks, interpretation of results, and developing beliefs in their capacity to perform tasks in accordance with the results, for example: “[Having been] through the process once … next time I’ll know what I’m doing and what to look for in a project and how to design one” ( Britner et al ., 2012, p. 283 ). Although this analysis was based on pre/postprogram interviews, without a midprogram interview to provide higher temporal resolution, it is possible that influential mastery experiences occurred earlier in the summer for the CLM participants, perhaps in the form of acquiring independent research skills in the first few weeks of the crayfish lab and/or generating hypotheses and designing experiments by the midprogram time point.…”

“…As described previously ( Frantz et al ., 2006 ; Britner et al ., 2012 ; Goode et al ., 2012 ), we created a novel program that compares elements of CUREs with those of traditional, mentored URE apprenticeships in the context of a summer training program in neuroscience. Behavioral Research Advancements in Neuroscience (BRAIN) is a 10-week, paid, intensive summer research program with a competitive application process.…”

“…Participants were randomly assigned to one of the two program models, and we used a mixed, qualitative and quantitative methodology to test whether the CLM produced outcomes at least as positive as the AM. Here, we include the results of our quantitative investigation; partial preliminary results with the first three cohorts were previously published, including in-depth explanations of the instruments used in assessment ( Goode et al ., 2012 ) and an in-depth qualitative case study of four participants ( Britner et al ., 2012 ).…”

Comparing undergraduate research experiences before, during, and after the COVID-19 quarantine: The successful adaptation of the BUILD PODER Summer JumpStart program

“…Research self-efficacy, therefore, is a student’s self-perception of their ability to perform research-related tasks and activities [ 60 ]. Research on science self-efficacy indicates it is a predictor of a students’ persistence in science-related fields [ 61 ]. Research self-efficacy and research skills were found to predict students’ aspirations for research careers, and the effects of research skills are partially mediated through self-efficacy beliefs [ 62 ].…”