Students as Scholars: Integrating Independent Research into Undergraduate Education

Abstract

Undergraduate programs across the country are working to develop students as scholars, integrating independent scholarly experiences into traditional undergraduate classroom environments (see for example GMUââ¬â¢s QEP). However, there is little empirical work exploring how students adapt to their new role as scholars. How do students integrate research into their undergraduate classroom experience? Based on teaching experience, participant observation and preââ¬Â and postââ¬Âsemester survey data, we discuss the process of students as scholars. We focus on how students analyze the data they gather and integrate their research experience into their overall learning for the course.