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Exploring the Impact of a Collaborative Research Methods Course on Dietetic Students’ Self-efficacy Towards Research and Research-related Writing

1 Department of Nutrition Science, College of Allied Health Sciences, East Carolina

University, Greenville, NC

Amanda D. Peterson, MS, RDN1 (presenter) & Virginia Stage PhD, RDN, LDN1

Introduction

• Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics

(ACEND) undergraduate coursework requirements for research:

• Research methodology
• Interpreting literature
• Integrating research
• Approximately one third of dietitians collect data and review literature
• 1%-8% of dietitians engage in and disseminate research findings
• Perceived research writing skills and confidence and may influence

the involvement of dietitians future involvement

Citations: ACEND, 2009; Byham-Gray, Gilbridge, Dixon, Stage, 2005; Oring & Goodwin, 1993

Objective

To discuss the influence and course design of a collaborative research methods laboratory course on upper-level dietetic student’s self-efficacy towards research and research-related writing

Session Outline

• Brief introduction to the methodology course and lab
• Discuss course overview and design
• Laboratory course influence on student’s self-efficacy

Course Overview

• Research Methodology Course:
• Learning how to understand, interpret, and critically evaluate

scientific literature

• Understanding various methodologies and the major steps in the

research process

• Developing technical writing skills
• Laboratory Course:
• Designated classroom time for:
• Data entry (e.g. SPSS) and management
• Learning and reviewing statistics
• Developing professional posters and

presentation skills

Methodology Course Laboratory Course

Course/Lab Requirements

• R

Table 1. Overview of General Course Requirements for Research Methodology and Lab

General Course and Lab Requirements IRB training Develop research questions and hypothesis for research topic Annotated bibliography Literature review In-class research article review and discussion Concept mapping SPSS data entry and analysis project Research brief including abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and application Oral presentation Poster presentation with multiple practice rounds

Lab Course

General Overview

Figure 1. General Overview for Undergraduate Research Methodology Course & Lab

Course/Lab Design

Improving Students’ Writing Efficacy

• Concept Mapping
• Identifying themes
• Aiding in the writing process
• Draft submissions with feedback
• Trained Writing Mentors
• Peer consultants
• Mandatory writing mentor meetings
• Provide feedback on writing

Course/Lab Design

Improving Students’ Research Efficacy

• Lectures/PowerPoint
• Clicker questions for students to assess

their understanding

• In-class Group Discussions
• Assigned articles correspond to lecture

material (e.g. study designs)

• Peer-to-peer feedback (e.g. round room

feedback)

• In-class Activities
• Real-time application of lecture material
• Hands-on learning (e.g. SPSS)
• Ability to ask questions

Student Feedback

Student-perceived helpful aspects

• f course material:
• Teaching style/enthusiasm
• Past student examples
• Instructor feedback and
• penness to questions
• Visual depictions of the

research process

• Systematic approach to

individual sections

• Organization & reminders
• In-class work times

“One aspect that has really helped me is working on one section at a time and putting it all together in the end.”

Influence on Efficacy

• Integrated research-related laboratory courses not

required in accredited dietetics programs.

• Additional class-time and laboratory activities may be

advantageous to students research and technical writing skill development. Purpose

• To explore the influence of a

research methods laboratory course on student’s self-efficacy for research efficacy (RE) and research-related writing (WE).

Methods

• n=30
• Pre/post assessment surveys
• Assess changes in self-efficacy for research (RE) and technical

writing (WE)

• 5-point scales
• Utilized existing and researcher-developed tools to assess WE

and RE, respectively

• Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U, and Wilcoxon Signed

Rank were employed to analyze data.

• Qualitative data
• Pre/post assessment
• “What research skills are important”?

Citation: Honeck, 2013

Results

• Significant improvements in research efficacy pre-post for 23 items
• Students enrolled in the lab course demonstrated significant improvements in

Writing Efficacy pre-post for 12 items.

Figure 3. Pre-Post assessment for Research Efficacy (RE) among students enrolled in NUTR 3500/3501 1= Not Confident At All, 2= Not Confident, 3=Confident, 4=Somewhat Confident, 5=Very Confident *p≤.05 Figure 4. Pre-Post assessment for Writing Efficacy (WE) among students enrolled in NUTR 3500/3501 1= Not Confident At All, 2= Not Confident, 3=Confident, 4=Somewhat Confident, 5=Very Confident *p≤.05

Results (continued)

Figure 2. Research Methodology and supporting laboratory course responses to the question “What research skills are important”?

Pre-assessment Post-assessment

Discussion

• Prior research suggests writing skills may be lacking among RDs.
• Students that gained experience in research and writing tasks through

a research lab course have gains in their self-efficacy in research and technical writing skills.

• Students may not be fully aware of efficacy gains while participating in

research and research related writing activities.

Future Research:

• Students perceptions of their abilities

and actual gains perceived by faculty

• Impact of prior research experience

Citations: Anchondo, Campbell, Zoellner, 2014; Hunter, Laursen, Seymour, 2007; Hayes & Peterson, 2003

References

Anchondo IM, Campbell C, Zoellner J. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2011 survey on member research activities, needs, and perceptions. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2014;114(5):803-810. Byham-Gray L, Gilbridge J, Dixon B, Stage F. Evidence-based practice: What are dietitians’ perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge? J Am Diet Assoc. 2005;105,(10):1574-1581. Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education, American Dietetic Association. Eligibility requirements and accreditation standards for didactic programs in dietetics. http://www.eatright.org/uploadedFiles/ CADE/Accreditation/DPD_2008_ERAS_v0-1_2 009-07-18_1200.pdf. Published March 2009. Cox MF, & Androit A. Mentor and undergraduate student comparisons of students’ research skills. J STEM

• Ed. 2009;10(1):31-39.

Gardner JK, Rall LC, Peterson CA. Lack of multidisciplinary collaboration is a barrier to outcomes research. J Am Diet Assoc. 2002;102(1):65-71. Hays J, Peterson C. Use of an outcomes research collaborative training curriculum to enhance entry-level dietitians’ and established professionals’ self-reported understanding of research. J Am Diet Assoc. 2003;103, 77-84. Honeck AY. Assessing perceived writing self-efficacy beliefs in the community college environment. School of Education Student Capstones and Dissertations. 2013, Paper 507. http://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_all/507 Hunter AB, Laursen SL, Seymour E. Becoming a scientist: The role of undergraduate research in students' cognitive, personal, and professional development. Sci Ed. 2007:91: 36–74. Kritikos VS, Carter S, Moles RJ, Krass I. Undergraduate pharmacy students’ perceptions of research in general and attitudes towards pharmacy practice research. Int J Pharm Pract. 2013;21(3):192-201. Oring K, Goodwin J. Integrating research and grant writing in an undergraduate dietetics program. J Am Diet

• Assoc. 1993;93:1293-1295.

Acknowledgements

Questions/Comments?