Improved reasoning in undergraduate writing through structured workshops

The Department of Economics at Duke University has endeavored to increase participation in undergraduate honors thesis research while ensuring a high-quality learning experience. Given the faculty-to-student ratio in the department (approximately 1:16), increasing research participation required the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of economic education 2015-01, Vol.46 (1), p.14-27
Main Authors: Dowd, Jason E, Connolly, Michelle P, Thompson, Robert J, Reynolds, Julie A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
economic education
ECONOMIC INSTRUCTION
Economics Education
Forschung
Handschrift
Honors Curriculum
Intervention
Lehren
Mentoring programs
Mentors
North Carolina
Quasiexperimental Design
Research Projects
Research Reports
Student
Student participation
Student Research
Student writing
Students
Studies
Teaching Methods
Theses
Thinking Skills
undergraduate instruction
undergraduate research
Undergraduate Students
University research
Wirtschaftserziehung
Workshops
writing
Writing Workshops
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Summary:The Department of Economics at Duke University has endeavored to increase participation in undergraduate honors thesis research while ensuring a high-quality learning experience. Given the faculty-to-student ratio in the department (approximately 1:16), increasing research participation required the creation of a stable, replicable framework for mentoring students through research. The department aimed to make the research experience more consistent and interactive so that students also learned from each other in a group setting. Here, the authors assess the relationship between changes in mentoring support of honors research and students' scientific reasoning and writing skills reflected in their undergraduate theses. They find that students who participated in structured courses designed to support and enhance their research exhibited the strongest learning outcomes, as measured by systematic writing assessment.
ISSN:0022-0485
2152-4068
DOI:10.1080/00220485.2014.978924