Assessing Student Perceptions to Enhance Undergraduate Research in Kinesiology

Abstract

The benefits, barriers, and methodologies of the enhancement of undergraduate research have been widely studied in higher education. However, there are limited studies on undergraduate research in the field of kinesiology. The previous studies centered around student or faculty evaluation of existing curricular or extracurricular undergraduate research programs. The extent to which these studies may inform a kinesiology department that does not have an established undergraduate research curriculum or program is questionable. This article provides a general overview of existing undergraduate research enhancement programs in other universities, presents a recent research study on perceptions of undergraduate research in exercise and sports science students at Texas State University, and offers future recommendations on enhancing undergraduate research in kinesiology.