Undergraduate science coursework: Teachers' goal statements and how students experience research

Abstract

Understanding the relation between teachers' goal statements and students' experiences about the position of research in undergraduate coursework can give use insight into ways to integrate research and teaching and foster undergraduate research. In this study, we examined to what extent teachers' goal statements agreed with students' experiences of research during undergraduate science coursework. Interviews were held with university science teachers and a questionnaire was presented to their students. The results suggest that teachers' goal statements about the research dispositions of students often tend to disagree with students' experiences, while the emphasis on teachers' own research ..