Abstract
Collaborative student research takes place in educational settings where the teacher directs the laboratory (traditional class) or allows the students to research a topic (non-traditional class). This study examines the role of collaborative student research in two separate settings: in high school (grades 9–12) and in college undergraduate institutions. These experiences include college level Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and high school level Authentic Science Research (ASR) programs. These programs promote collaboration among student peers, teachers, professors, graduate students, post-docs, community members, and industry experts. Benefits of these collaborative student research programs may include development of skills aligned with educational standards such as Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards. This study examines the short and long-term outcome of student engagement in collaborative student research experiences, and offers new insight regarding the impact that these unique experiences have on 21st century skill development. Students in this study have participated in non-traditional, research-based experiences ranging from 8 weeks to 4 years. Pre-post and retrospective student survey data was examined qualitatively and quantitatively to better understand the role in which collaborative student research experiences play in the formation of 21st century skills. Results of the study support the notion that collaborative student research experiences offer students meaningful interdisciplinary benefits, and these experiences are more than just a means of recruiting students into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Sandra Laursen. Undergraduate Research in the Sciences: Engaging Students in Real Science. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010. Print. (pp. 201–5, 217)
Shiv Gaglani. Success with Science: The Winners' Guide to High School Research. Tucson, AZ: Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement, 2011. Print. (p. 3)
Karen Weber Bauer, and Joan S. Bennett. Creating Effective Undergraduate Research Programs in Science, edited by R. Taraban & R.L. Blanton (Teachers College Press, New York, 2008) pp. 42–43, 92; ibid A. Hunter, S.L. Laursen, and E. Seymour p. 138
Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth, and Christopher Lehman. Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2012. Print. (pp. 1–13)
Bernie Trilling. 21st Century Skills. New York: JOHN WILEY & SONS, 2012. Print. (Part 1)
“The Partnership for 21st Century Skills.” The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. <http://www.p21.org/>.
“Center for 21st Century Skills.” Center for 21st Century Skills. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. <http://www.skills21.org/>.
“ Where the Nation Turns for Independent, Expert Advice.” National-Academies.org Where the Nation Turns for Independent, Expert Advice. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. <http://www.nationalacademies.org/nrc/>.
“About the Materials Genome Initiative.” The White House. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/mgi>.
Ashley D. Rittmayer, and Margaret E. Beier. “Overview: Self-efficacy in STEM.” SWE-AWE CASEE Overviews (2008).
“Global Competence: Prepare Youth to Engage with the World.” Asia Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. <http://asiasociety.org/education/partnership-global-learning/making-case/global-competence-prepare-youth-engage-world>.
Baptiste Barbot, Maud Besançon, and Todd I. Lubart. “Assessing Creativity in the Classroom.” The Open Education Journal 4. 58–66 (2011). At the date this paper was written, URLs or links referenced herein were deemed to be useful supplementary material to this paper. Neither the author nor the Materials Research Society warrants or assumes liability for the content or availability of URLs referenced in this paper.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge primary financial support from CRISP and the CRISP Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program (NSF MRSEC DMR 1119826).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Day, D.A., Ferrari, N. & Broadbridge, C.C. The Role of Collaborative Student Research on the Development of 21st Century Skills. MRS Online Proceedings Library 1657, 11–16 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1557/opl.2014.400
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/opl.2014.400