Can a Hands-On Introduction to Research Increase Motivation to Participate?

Despite the well-established benefits of undergraduate research (UR), only a minority of students participate. This study compares two ways to introduce students to UR opportunities with the goal of broadening participation. Incoming students were placed in either a hands-on or lecture-based UR introduction session and then completed surveys to evaluate their positivity toward UR. Results indicated first-generation students in the hands-on group exhibited significantly higher survey scores than those in the lecture group. Females had more positive attitudes than males, but there was no statistical difference between treatment groups. The results are discussed in the context of programmatic strategies to broaden participation in UR.