Undergraduate Student Motivation in Research, Science, and Post-Bachelor Education

There is a lot of disparity in the distribution of underrepresented minorities in STEM fields. Several factors have been attributed to this disparity, including race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic background, and the sense of not belonging. The goal of this study was to examine student perception of STEM, the feeling of belongingness, the importance of research and their future career goals before and after taking STEM courses and participating in data science workshops and seminars. The results show that although students understand the importance of science and research experience, in most cases even senior-year students do not have research experience; and that workshops and research embedded in coursework motivated students to pursue graduate education. Additionally, most students were either employed or actively seeking employment, suggesting students prioritize activities that provide an income over voluntary research activities. This study suggests that engagement with undergraduates in research may require a different approach, such as making research a mandatory requirement for students.