GRADUATE'S PERCEPTION OF THEIR RESEARCH EXPERIENCE: EVIDENCE FROM A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY OF BANGLADESH

 

Nowreen Yasmin

Research Associate, M.Sc., BRAC Research and Evaluation Division, BANGLADESH, nowreenyasmin@yahoo.com

 

Abstract

This paper aims at exploring graduate students’ research experience by investigating into their perception about different aspects of their pursuing research in a public University of Bangladesh. With response to that aim, it explains graduates’ experience in six different aspects which together construct an effective research experience: a model proposed by Keith Trigwell and Harriet Dunbar-Goddet. It combines all the relevant findings from a rigorous quantitative study conducted with a sample of 101 graduates of that public university who graduated in the year of 2015 and 2016. Results reveals that students’ perspective of research experience is generally favourable and positive for the majority of the six aspects. Nevertheless, there is considerable differences with respect to different socioeconomic background of the students. Furthermore, overall student satisfaction with their experience for conducting academic research as graduates, is found linked with some particular factors such as supervision, facilities and infrastructure of the university. Positive agreement on the availability of those factors significantly generates higher satisfaction with overall research experience. Therefore, the findings provide the evidences to initiate appropriate management strategies by the university administration with a view to facilitating students’ research experience during graduate program. Additionally it introduces an effective approach to the assessment of research students’ experience that combines both evaluation of the research facilities and scholastic actions.

Keywords: Research experience, Graduate's perception, university management, higher education, Bangladesh.