Self-Efficacy Is the Key: Impact of Undergraduate Research Experiences on Research Skills and Career Aspirations

The document discusses a study by Adedokun et al. that explored the impact of undergraduate research experiences (UREs) on students' development of research skills, self-efficacy in research, and aspirations for research careers. The study involved 156 students who participated in a URE program, spending 4 to 10 hours per week in a faculty mentor's laboratory and attending a seminar on research conduct. A post-participation survey was used to collect data, which was then analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results showed significant direct relationships between research skills and research self-efficacy, as well as between research skills and career aspirations. Additionally, there was a positive relationship between self-efficacy and aspirations, and an indirect effect of research skills on aspirations through self-efficacy. This suggests that research self-efficacy partially mediates the relationship between research skills and students' aspirations for research careers.