Summer programs that provide research experience for undergraduate students (REU programs) have traditionally played an integral role in exposing students to authentic scientific research practices and transitioning those students from undergraduate coursework to research-based graduate programs in STEM fields.   This model was recently applied to a program that focused on research in STEM education fields at North Dakota State University (NDSU). Coincidently, this university also run a molecular science REU program.  The goal of this study was to compare the impact of these two programs on the outcomes that the National Science Foundation set for REU programs: “attracting students to and retaining them in science and engineering, and for preparing them for careers in these fields.” Identical data was collected in the form of pre and post surveys, weekly activity-log and post interviews from REU students in both of these programs over a two-year period. Our results indicate that participants in the STEM education REU program tended to have less initial knowledge of career options within the field of Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER) and fewer students in this program had been considering a research-based graduate program than those participating in the molecular sciences REU program prior to the program’s commencement.  A greater change was observed in the number of students who said they would most likely continue their education beyond a bachelor’s degree in the STEM education program despite similarities in the nature of the research activities between the two programs.  This would suggest that the STEM education program is more in line with the National Science Foundation’s goal of promoting research-based science among those students who would otherwise not consider it as an option.

Leveraging REU programs to attract talents in STEM fields: A comparison of outcomes of a discipline-based education research and a molecular science REU program

249th National Meeting (2015)

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