What Do Students Think and Feel about Research?

Abstract

How do students understand and feel about the research process? This article uses student writing and drawings to uncover where undergraduate students struggle while completing research assignments for upper-division writing courses. Student-created process maps and responses to reflection questions showed frustration while developing topics, uncertainty while choosing sources, and difficulty finding time to go through a complete process in a single semester. The structure and pacing of research assignments contributed to students’ frustration with and misunderstanding of the research process. These findings point to opportunities for improving student learning through new ways of understanding and structuring student assignments.