The Peer Assisted Teaching Model for Undergraduate Research at a HBCU

Abstract

Despite wide application of research skills in higher education, undergraduate students reported research and computer anxiety, and low association between research and their professional goals. This study aims to assess whether peer-assisted mentoring programs would promote positive changes in undergraduates' attitudes toward research. Using a quasi-experimental one-group, pretest-posttest research design, the study assessed changes in attitudes by having doctoral candidates mentor undergraduate students during a summer statistics camp. Findings from paired-samples t-test indicated that students became familiar with the twelve statistical concepts upon completion, gained more positive affect related to statistics and an increase in their positive attitude about statistical skills, whereas they had lower scores prior to it. Notwithstanding the small sample size, these data indicate that including a peer assisted statistics camp in the academic curriculum would be beneficial for undergraduate students and increase their knowledge about research and statistics.