Abstract:

Over the past 15 years, Mozambique has experienced higher education reforms in a fast-forward mode. Presently, the country has 18 publicly and 28 privately funded institutions [1], offering bachelor’s, master’s, and postgraduate courses to approximately 290,000 students (2015). Despite the growth in HEI, research points at weak research qualifications of university staff [2] and low input and output from flagship universities in Africa [3]. This is also reflected in research competencies of undergraduate students as reported in a recent study [4]. Research competences are below a mastery learning benchmark. To counter this, the present study invests in an innovation to engage undergraduate students in research activities. Studies have shown that involving students in research has the potential to positively influence the students’ epistemological, intellectual and skills development ([5],[6],[7],[8]). In the present study, two versions of a 12-week course have been set up. Version A involves students in research processes as key stakeholders. This version is labelled as Research-Based Learning(RBL) [7]. Version B involves students in a parallel version labelled as Research-Led Learning (RLE). Research activities in both versions are linked to a regular university undergraduate course. The differential impact of RBL/RLE is studied by looking at the quality of research self-efficacy, the actual development of research competencies and research motivation; both before and after the intervention. During the intervention, students are involved in focus group discussions to collect qualitative data.

References:
[1] Langa, Patricio Vitorino, “Higher Education in Portuguese Speaking African Countries: A Five-Country Baseline Study”. African Minds, 2013
[2] Darling-Hammond, L., “Teacher Quality and Student Achievement : A Review of State Policy Evidence Previous Research” Education, 8(1), 1–44, 2000 https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.clp
[3] Cloete, N., Bailey, T., & Pillay, P. “Universities and economic development in Africa”. African Minds, 2011
[4] Uaciquete, A. S., “Student experience in research in developing world within teaching-intensive public Universities”. Connecting Higher Education: International Perspectives on research-based education. 2017.
[5] Healey, Mick, Fiona Jordan, Barney Pell, and Chris Short, “The Research–teaching Nexus: A Case Study of Students’ Awareness, Experiences and Perceptions of Research” Innovations in Education and Teaching International 47 (2): 235–46, 2010. doi:10.1080/14703291003718968.
[6] Neumann, Ruth, “The Teaching-Research Nexus: Applying a Framework to University Students’ Learning Experiences” European Journal of Education 29 (3): 1994. 323. doi:10.2307/1503744.
[7] Robertson, Jane, and Gillian Blackler, “Students’ Experiences of Learning in a Research Environment” Higher Education Research and Development 25 (3): 215–29. 2006, doi:10.1080/07294360600792889.
[8] Seymour, Elaine, Anne Barrie Hunter, Sandra L. Laursen, and Tracee Deantoni, “Establishing the Benefits of Research Experiences for Undergraduates in the Sciences: First Findings from a Three-Year Study”, Science Education 88: 493–534. 2004. doi:10.1002/sce.10131.

Keywords:

Students’ research experiences, research-based learning, Mozambique.