Cultivate a Research Mindset: How Do High School Students Understand and Approach Authentic Research?

This study investigates students' understanding of good research as related to their own research experiences and future research interests.The participants were 12th-grade students (17-to-18-year-olds) who participated in the Innovative Solutions project supported by three teachers and a cluster of professional partners from community-based organizations.An individual interview was conducted at the end of the project focused on students' research experiences and outcomes, their understanding of good research, their interests to do research in the future.Grounded theory analysis of the interview data revealed core facets of students' epistemic understanding of good research including aims, criteria, and process.As a compelling theme, students embrace research as a progressive, ever-deepening process to uncover deeper problems as research progresses.Detailed analysis of two student cases elaborates on how students' epistemic understandings connect with their research experiences and future research interests.The findings inform educational designs to cultivate authentic research experiences among students.