Impact of a senior research thesis on students' perceptions of scientific inquiry in distinct student populations

Senior research thesis courses are a hallmark feature of many undergraduate science programs, with several documented benefits, including the development of research skills and scientific identity alongside career exploration. In this study, we investigated how the senior research thesis experience is perceived by distinct student populations. We surveyed undergraduate students from two programs at a mid-sized, research-intensive university: Biochemistry, a basic science-focused program, and Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization, a hybrid program combining science and business. Both groups were enrolled in identical fourth-year laboratory-based thesis courses. Our analysis measured the impact of the thesis experience on students' scientific inquiry skills and beliefs; furthermore, we examined how these changes influenced their professional socialization as researchers and their postdegree career goals. Our findings suggest that completing a senior research thesis increased students' perception of their research-related skills, regardless of program enrollment. While there were fewer significant changes regarding student epistemological beliefs around scientific research, qualitative and quantitative measures support the idea that students have developed a more positive perception of failure and resilience within research. Additionally, while students within the science-business hybrid program experienced no significant changes in career goals, completion of a senior research thesis had a significant impact on students within the science-based program. Overall, our results demonstrate that laboratory-based thesis courses can have a notable effect on developing student research skills, beliefs about scientific research, and career goals, and that these effects vary based on the student population.