An increasing number of high school students are seeking opportunities to conduct academic research, hoping to add “published author” to their list of accomplishments when they apply to college.
Just look at the popular facebook.com/groups/1479788318994374/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener nofollow”>facebook Groups and Reddit If you search for advice on how to get into selective colleges, you'll likely find posts recommending that students engage in intensive research or compete in scientific competitions as a way to stand out on college applications. It seems that many aspiring applicants and their parents have latched onto the idea that publishing research in an academic journal while still a high school student has emerged as a new trophy to strive for in an increasingly intense race to stand out as an applicant, especially after the most selective colleges have stopped requiring the SAT or other admissions tests.
But experts say the high school research trend, while well-intentioned, has plenty of drawbacks. After all, academic research often requires deeper knowledge of a field than is typically available in high school, and it involves carefully following ethical guidelines to protect research subjects from potential harm that students may not be aware of without expert guidance.
“It can take years to do research, even basic research,” says Bob Malkin, executive director of the North Carolina Institutes for International Research. “High school students have classes they need to worry about. They may play sports or pursue other hobbies or interests. So, mixing this in with all the other things they need to do can definitely be a bad idea, simply because it’s so time-consuming.”
Pushing students to get involved in research from a young age can also amplify inequalities among those who don’t have access to expensive research programs or opportunities at elite institutions. That’s because many students can’t afford to participate in summer programs to hone their research skills, or they aren’t taught important research skills in high school, says Bethany Usher, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Radford University. As a result, they don’t have the same experiences that will help them find a job in a lab or pursue their own project when they reach their freshman year of college, she says.
That's not to say that teaching research skills in high school is bad, though. In fact, Malkin recently co-wrote a book on how to help young students along the way, called “amazon.com/GUIDE-ACADEMIC-RESEARCH-SCHOOL-STUDENTS/dp/B0D31T2KZN” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener nofollow”>An academic research guide for high school students.”
The hope, experts say, is that teaching research skills will become more commonplace, making its way into high schools and university courses outside of elite private schools. That could help develop basic skills without having to seek publication at too young an age.
Develop skills
Bonnie Hale, an independent counselor who advises high school students on their college applications, says she sees students whose attempts to research to enhance their resumes do more harm than good.
One student, for example, asked Hale to help her send a survey to parents across California, a task that would have required oversight by an institutional review board.
Other students will try to submit their work for publication without the proper elements of a scholarly article, such as a review of the reference literature or a methods section. One student hoped to submit a paper that didn't even include a research question, Hale says. No peer-reviewed journal would publish this work, she adds.
Some journals are geared toward high school students, but they often demand high fees, are run by other high school or undergraduate students, or are not reputable journals, Hale says. Plus, publishing in these journals likely won't impress college admissions officers, she adds. For students looking to publish research, Malkin suggests working with a college faculty member, though that can be difficult to accomplish.
Publishing research without proper mentoring or supervision can also have significant consequences for the student, says Hale, who co-wrote the book on student research with Malkin. Hale has worked with some students who say they participated in a study, only for Hale to discover that they exaggerated their role in the paper. If students are found to be conducting research unethically or presenting themselves incorrectly on an application, a university could rescind their offer or put that student on probation, she says.
“That’s what students don’t understand,” Hale says. “That pressure is pushing them in a direction they shouldn’t go.”
For Hale and Malkin, improving the environment starts with changing parents’ attitudes. Parents need to ease up on the pressure and understand that their children will learn and be happy in college even if they don’t get into their dream school, Malkin says. If they’re interested in research, encourage them, but if not, don’t force them, she says. “Somehow, someone has to convince these parents that their child is going to be fine,” she adds.
Radford’s Usher says more high schools across the country should also help teach research skills, without pushing too hard too soon. She says high school teachers could encourage their students to get involved in community projects, for example, such as surveys or other outreach activities in their local area. Often, the skills young students learn through research, such as critical thinking, are what help them later on, rather than the research itself, she says.
“If we want to reach a broader range of students, it is essential that these educators are well prepared to take advantage of the research opportunities that communities offer and make them relevant to students,” says Usher.
Early exposure to basic research skills could also help with college readiness and retention, she adds. “Students may not have seen interest in doing something like that, but if they are taught about research opportunities in high schools, that doesn’t require a college to be nearby,” she adds.
Some universities have also begun incorporating research skills into their courses. Throughout the undergraduate career, classes will continue to develop those skills, which students can use when they enter the workforce or graduate school, says Lindsay Currie, executive director of the Undergraduate Research Council.
Malkin says most graduate programs now require some level of research and that students begin as early as possible. Incorporating research into classes encourages students to sign up for additional opportunities outside of the classroom once they gain confidence in the subject, Currie adds.
“If you have a flyer that says, ‘Do you want to be in my lab?’ you might not, as a first-year college student, really understand what that means if you don’t have any context for it,” she says. These courses “allow students to understand the value and be able to test whether it’s right for them.”
In a biology class at Radford, students conducted research on a specific fungus among bees. After a semester of catching bees and testing them with various methods, the students presented their original findings at a research fair. These types of projects can be done in any type of course, says Usher, who was the past chair of the Undergraduate Research Council. She suggests that each student could choreograph their own routines in a dance class rather than simply learning all the same steps.
“They don’t have to go out of their comfort zone — everyone goes to class, so there’s no ‘you’re selected for something’ process,” Usher says. “Sometimes students do research and don’t even know they’ve done it,” she adds. “You have to think, ‘this thing you thought was really cool and exciting, that was research.’”
