Experiences of Arts and Humanities Students Engaging in Undergraduate Research

Deemed an important pedagogical tool by the Boyer Commission Report more than 20 years ago, undergraduate research (UR) has been found to increase students’ academic performance, retention, and pursuance of higher degrees. However, much of the existing literature on UR has focused primarily on student participation outcomes in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields while disregarding those in other concentrations. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of arts and humanities students participating in UR by describing (1) their research activities, and (2) the meaning and value they assign to research. Two sets of interviews were conducted with various arts and humanities students participating in UR from a public, land-grant, research university. Emergent themes outlined participants’ beliefs about the importance of passion and the development of novel ideas in research. Additionally, unintended outcomes were found that describe the impact of research-related (1) biases in the participants’ fields, and (2) activities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic