Creating and Implementing an Undergraduate Research Lab in Political Science

Weinschenk, Aaron C.

doi:10.1080/15512169.2020.1795873

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The scholarly literature on undergraduate involvement in research identifies multiple benefits for students, both immediate and longer lasting. Concretely, participation in undergraduate research develops students’ skills, knowledge, and appreciation for how research is accomplished (Weinschenk 2021). Undergraduate students involved in research early in their college experience are more likely to complete their degree program (Lopatto 2004).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Structurally, the lab involves a faculty researcher as principal investigator (PI) and a team of both graduate and undergraduate students. It is not our goal to provide a roadmap for how to build a political science laboratory (see, e.g., Becker 2020; Weinschenk 2021). Rather, our contribution is to share the benefits and challenges of collaborative undergraduate research as experienced by undergraduate RAs working in the Dionne Publicly Engaged Research Lab (DPERL) at the University of California Riverside (UCR).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Undergraduates and Political Science Research: Insights from Research Assistants in a Minority-Serving Institution Lab

Velásquez

Esmail²,

Stoltz³

et al. 2023

APSC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study examines undergraduate research experiences at a minority-serving institution (MSI) in a political science laboratory. Students contributed to projects in a collaborative research lab at the University of California Riverside that involves undergraduate and graduate students in projects related to health and politics. Adopting a participatory approach to research, the study’s research participants also are coauthors who co-created the research protocols; collected the data; transcribed, coded, and analyzed the data; and wrote up the findings. Our analysis of 12 in-depth interviews with current and former undergraduate research assistants (RAs) found that their work in the lab challenged their perceptions of what research is and what it means to do research; shaped their path to pursue graduate studies; developed their social and professional skills; and offered an inclusive and humanizing experience with graduate students and faculty members. Challenges that the RAs mentioned included time management, bureaucratic accounting and payroll procedures, and feelings of self-doubt; the lab’s culture of inclusion and independence mitigated some of these challenges. Our findings align with the scholarly literature that suggests collaborative research opportunities can have beneficial outcomes, particularly for students from groups that are underrepresented in doctoral programs.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%