| Effective strategies and processes for conducting faculty-led research with higher education students are lacking. Individuals who conduct and oversee faculty-led research might establish strategies and processes if they had knowledge about students' research experiences in faculty-led studies. A lack of knowledge about students' experiences when participating in faculty-led research studies may result in possible over-regulation, under regulation, undue influence, or perceived coercion. This study documented the experiences of freshman students who participated in faculty-led research studies to increase awareness among those who conduct or oversee the research. The researcher intended to determine what motivated the students to participate, the students' perceptions of the research process from recruitment to completion, and what students perceived as the benefits and challenges of participating in faculty-led research. Eight participants, five women and three men, participated in individual interviews for this research study. All participants had participated previously in a research study led by a faculty member while they were in their freshman year of college. A basic qualitative research method using semi-structured interviews was used to explore the participants' experiences. The qualitative methodology allowed the researcher to explore the how, what, and why of the topic. Experiences expressed by the participants were those of enlightenment, education, engagement, and challenges. The students perceived participation as being voluntary in nature. Participants expressed that compensation for their time was important. Participants indicated that compensation offered for participation motivated them to volunteer for and complete the study. Each participant reported (a) ease in recruitment, (b) comfort with the consent process, and (c) few negative comments. Findings of this research project may benefit higher education leaders, administrators, and faculty researchers by providing information needed to make informed and effective decisions when considering the future enrollment of students in faculty-led research. |
