Title: The Benefits of Research Experiences for Undergraduates with Disabilities
1The Benefits of Research Experiences for
Undergraduates with Disabilities
- Presentation to the Association of Science
Teacher Education Northeast Regional Meeting - Amherst, Massachusetts
- October 27, 2005
2Purpose of the Study
- To investigate the nature and quality of
undergraduate research experiences for
undergraduates with disabilities at three
institutions of higher education in New England - To explore the contributions of these
undergraduate research experiences to the
personal and professional lives of the
undergraduates
3Background
- Scientists play a vital role in the U.S.
educational system, in industrial competition,
and in the generation of new knowledge. - A challenge for our country is to attract the
best talent from all sources to stimulate
creativity, innovation, and change in order to
advance science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM). - Persons with disabilities are a smaller
proportion of the science and engineering labor
force than they are of the labor force in general
(National Science Foundation, 2004).
4Background
- Participation in undergraduate research
experiences has some positive benefits including
interest in the discipline recruitment of
students of color persistence career
preparation networking improved research,
laboratory, critical thinking, and communication
skills self-confidence and involvement in
learning (Seymour, Hunter, Laursen, Deantoni,
2004). - No research studies have addressed the
participation of students with disabilities in
undergraduate research experiences.
5EAST Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
(SURF) Program
- Funds may support summer research by students
with disabilities or projects that will lead to
improved access to STEM. - Students meet regularly with faculty research
supervisors to review progress towards the
research goals and objectives.
6EAST SURF Program (continued)
- Students submit a written report and present the
results of their project in an oral or poster
format at EASTs annual conference in early
November. - Five students from three institutions of higher
education in New England participated in summer
2004.
7Annie
- Senior majoring in chemistry
- Use of a Microwave Oven to Speed Drying the
Sol-Gel Process - Has documented learning differences and Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
8Bonnie
- Junior majoring in environmental engineering
- Cleanup of Bedrock Contamination Using in situ
Bioremediation Techniques - Has a hearing impairment
9Charlie
- Sophomore majoring in electrical and computer
engineering - Accessible Introductory Computer Science
- Does not have a disability worked on a team with
another student who is blind
10Drew
- Senior majoring in computer science and
psychology - Accessible Introductory Computer Science
- Does not have a disability worked on a team with
another student who is blind
11Ethan
- Sophomore will probably major in computer
science - Accessible Introductory Computer Science
- Has been blind since high school
12Instruments, Data Collection, and Analysis
- The students completed survey questionnaires and
participated in interviews at the end of their
research experiences. - Responses to the questionnaires were tabulated,
and frequencies were calculated. - All interviews were recorded and transcribed.
- Data from the interviews were descriptively
summarized and coded according to themes and
subthemes.
13Preliminary Results and Discussion
- The results were categorized and summarized into
three broad themes challenges, mentoring, and
career choices.
14Challenges
- The students did not view their disability as
being problematic in the laboratory but rather as
necessitating adjustments in their own approach
to conducting research - It is very one-on-one and so I dont have a
problem. With my hearing it is harder when there
is a group of people, and I think someone without
a hearing impairment might find the same thing to
communicate. (Bonnie)
15Challenges
- The positive experience of overcoming the
scientific challenges of the research was a
prevalent theme - A lot of time in chemistry you cant explain it
and you figure out what the pattern is and go
from there. This is also something I have had to
learn that you cant always have an answer and
you need to say to yourself that I dont know
what it is but let me figure out how it is
related. (Annie)
16Mentoring
- The participants in this study viewed mentoring
with some ambivalence. One student looked to the
research supervisor as a mentor and considered
her to be a source of motivation, facilitation,
and encouragement - My mentor is probably one of the most feared
people in the science department because she is
tough. I dont have a doubt when whatever I
decide to go on to, you know my mentor will
have prepared me for it. She is also very
athletic and I am athletic so we talk and bike
and we talk about running. We have a good and fun
relationship as well. (Annie)
17Mentoring
- Several students, while recognizing that the
research supervisor provided critical guidance,
did not view the supervisor as a mentor - I thought that he was going to be hard. Now,
with this project he is a great mentor. He
advises you, gives you special attention. His
help was crucial. He had good leadership.
(Charlie)
18Mentoring
- One student firmly resisted having a mentor. She
preferred to rely on her own personal resources - I look up to my parents a lot. I try not to have
a mentor and be my own person and maybe my name
will be remembered in my high school. It sounds
cheesy and corny. (Bonnie)
19Career Choices
- The EAST SURF program was pivotal in the future
plans of the students and instilled a desire to
continue on in their fields - I have always been an environmental engineer,
but now I KNOW I want to be an environmental
engineer! Now I am very familiar with the lab and
familiar with the types of machines that are used
and even just simple things as how to wash a vial
and autoclave it. (Bonnie)
20Career Choices
- As a result of their summer research
experiences, at least three of the SURFs planned
to attend graduate school - I would like to ultimately get my PhD, but I can
always get my masters in two years and decide
what I want to do. The SURF has definitely
opened up a great new door. (Annie)
21Discussion
- All the students reported that they would not
have participated in the summer research
experiences were it not for the funding that they
received from EAST. - The findings of this study confirmed the results
of other researchers in that the students were
able to gain confidence and that the research
experiences supported them in thinking and
working as researchers.
22Discussion (continued)
- The SURF motivated the students to pursue
advanced study in science and to consider careers
in which they were unsure they could achieve. - The research experience may have allowed these
students to create and be their own role models
and realize that individuals with disabilities
can be successful in STEM.
23Questions for Further Research
- What aspects of the SURF served as catalysts for
connecting students with STEM pathways? - What activities of the SURF helped to sustain the
students motivation and interest in STEM?
24Questions for Further Research
- In what critical ways did the research
supervisors support the students so that they
could be successful? - What was the impact of the SURF on the individual
research supervisors?
25References
- Johnson, R. B., Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004).
Mixed methods research A research paradigm whose
time has come. Educational Researcher, 33(7),
14-26. - Kardash, C. M. (2002). Undergraduate research
experiences Male and female interns' perceptions
of goals, gains, and disappointments. Las Vegas,
NV University of Nevada-Las Vegas. - Lopatto, D. (2001). Short-term impact of the
undergraduate research experience Results of the
first summer survey 2001.
26References
- National Science Foundation. (2004). Women,
minorities, and persons with disabilities in
science and engineering 2004. Reston, VA
National Science Foundation. - Seymour, E. (2001). Tracking the process of
change in U.S. undergraduate education in
science, mathematics, engineering, and
technology. Science Education, 86, 79-105. - Seymour, E., Hunter, A., Laursen, S. L.,
Deantoni, T. (2004). Establishing the benefits of
research experiences for undergraduates in the
sciences. First findings from a three-year study.
Science Education, 88, 493-534.
27References
- Wang, H. A., Houang, R., Schmidt, W., Gould, C.,
Pennypacker, C. (2004, April). Salient issues
in the development and evaluation of the
Web-based teacher training methods for the
hands-on science universe curriculum. Paper
presented at the annual conference of the
American Educational Research Association, San
Diego, CA.
28Thank you!
Nancy Lightbody nancy_at_lightbody.org Eastern
Alliance in Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (EAST) Voice (207)
688-4573, ext. 148 TTY (207) 688-4591
29Eastern Alliance in Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics
www.EASTalliance.org