Library Research Scholars Program (LRSP)

The Library Research Scholars Program is fully funded by generous sponsors. With their help, SJSU King Library is able to provide undergraduate students the experience of developing and executing an original research project of their choosing.

Undergraduate research is considered a high-impact education practice by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, particularly for minority and underrepresented populations (Nagda et al., 1998; Caraballo-Cueto et al., 2023). Undergraduate research provides many benefits for participating students, including an increase in GPA (Fechheimer et al., 2011) and development of research skills such as public speaking and data analysis (Bauer and Bennett, 2003). Research shows an increased interest in graduate school (Hathaway et al., 2002; Kremer and Bringle, 1990) for students participating in undergraduate research.  

References

1. Bauer, K.W., & Bennett, J.S. (2003). Alumni perceptions used to assess undergraduate research experience.  Journal of Higher Education, 74, 210-230.
2. Caraballo-Cueto, J., Godreau, Í., & Tremblay, R. (2023). From Undergraduate Research to Graduation: Measuring the Robustness of the Pathway at a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 22(2), 219–232. https://doi.org/10.1177/15381927221074026
3. Fechheimer, M., Webber, K., & Kleiber, P. B. (2011). How Well Do Undergraduate Research Programs Promote Engagement and Success of Students? CBE—Life Sciences Education, 10(2), 156–163. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.10-10-0130
4. Hathaway, R.S., Nagda, B.A., & Gregerman, S.R. (2002). The relationship of undergraduate research participation to graduate and professional education pursuit: an empirical study. Journal of College Student Development, 43, 614-631.
5. Kremer, J.F., & Bringle, R.G. (1990). The effects of an intensive research experience on the careers of talented undergraduates.  Journal of Research Development Education, 24, 1-5.
6. Nagda, B., Gregerman, S., Jonides, J., von Hippel, W., & Lerner, JS. (1998). Undergraduate Student-Faculty Research Partnerships Affect Student Retention.  Review of Higher Education, 22, 55-72.