Assessing Research Self-Efficacy among Economically Disadvantaged Undergraduate Students of Color in Mentoring Programs at Predominantly White Institutions

摘要

Previous research has documented the scope and general nature of undergraduate mentoring programs that expose students to the scientific research process; research examining the influence of specific research-related activities on economically disadvantaged undergraduates' research self-efficacy, however, has been severely limited. The present study investigated whether specific research-related activities, associated with participation in an undergraduate research program, affected the research self-efficacy of 87 economically disadvantaged students at three research extensive universities. Results indicated that research-related activities such as conducting a literature review or collecting/analyzing data were positively correlated with research self-efficacy. Race, graduate degree aspirations, and research methodology also were related to research self-efficacy among the sample, even after controlling for differences in background traits. Implications for future educational practice are discussed.