Student Research Project (SRP)

The SAIRO Student Research Project (SRP) seeks to support the learning and development of the UCLA study body by involving UCLA students in research about students and their experiences.  Each year, SAIRO will select a maximum of 10 undergraduate students for participation in a research project related to the organizational mission of SAIRO. Through participation in SRP, research team members will develop valuable knowledge of qualitative and/or quantitative research methodologies and gain first-hand experience collecting and analyzing qualitative and/or quantitative research data.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Collaboration
  • As a result of participating in SAIRO’s SRP students will be able to work as part of team toward a common goal, adhere to project timelines, and identify as well as fill essential group roles and responsibilities.
• Communication               
  • As a result of participating in SAIRO’s SRP students will develop written and oral communications that reflect the distinct information needs and communication styles of the intended audience (e.g., peers, administrators).
• Intellectual Growth
  • At the end of the SRP, students will be able to:
    1. a) write clear and concise  research questions

       b) conduct a literature review

       c) select an appropriate methodological framework

       d) design a study within existing time and resource constraints

       e) collect data

       f) analyze data

       g) articulate findings

       h) disseminate research to multiple audiences

• Appreciate Diversity:
  • As a result of participating in SAIRO’s SRP students will be able to describe how their own identities and cultures shape their college experiences as well as how identity and culture shape the educational experiences of their peers.

Enrollment Procedures
 Students enroll in SRP (Course 99) by submitting his/her signed SRP contract (available on MyUcla) to the appropriate Undergraduate Research Center. SRP contracts must be filed by 5pm Friday of second week (excluding zero week) for Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters. Please see  UCLA’s SRP website for more detailed enrollment information (http://www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/urc-care/srp.htm).

Current Projects
Fall 2009
Our small, diverse research team is focused on investigating how UCLA students create community and foster a sense of belonging on campus. Over the course of a full academic year we will develop and carry out a research project that explores student perspectives on community, connection, and belonging at UCLA. Consistent with the principles of participatory action research, members of the team will critically reflect on their own experiences of community and belonging at UCLA and will draw upon these personal reflections and the research data to develop individual as well as institutional strategies for fostering inclusive, respectful, and socially just campus communities. In addition to writing a paper that describes the project and synthesizes major research findings, the research team will also share their findings and policy recommendations in a presentation to UCLA administrators.