IJAEDU- International E-Journal of Advances in Education

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 in 2005. 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 ascertain that students’ perspective of research
experience is generally favourable and positive for four out of the six
aspects. Additionally, considerable differences in perception were found 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 in
juxtaposition with quality of thesis 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, the study introduces
an effective approach evaluate research students’ experience that combines both
evaluation of the research facilities and scholastic actions.