Shaping Future Exercise Scientists: An Evaluation of Course-Embedded Research Experiences and Traditional Pedagogy in Kinesiology

Course-Embedded Research Experiences (CURE) are known to have a variety of benefits for both students and their instructors. However, there are few reports of the benefits of research experiences for undergraduate Kinesiology students. The purpose of the present study was to examine the benefits of CURE empirically in a cohort of undergraduate Kinesiology students. One section of the course engaged in the CURE project and the other section engaged in a traditional class project. Student perceptions of the benefits of the project, student engagement, and interest in advanced studies in kinesiology were compared between the two forms of course delivery. There were no statistically significant differences in student engagement or desire to pursue advanced degrees. However, there were increased benefits in skills gained for the CURE project. The CURE section (3.70 ± 0.33) demonstrated greater perceived benefits overall compared to the Traditional section (3.53 ± 0.23; W = 40.00, p = 0.05). Exposing these students to research for the first time was also a positive outcome. Ultimately, the results continue to support that CURE is a beneficial pedagogical tool; however, traditional class projects may be equally beneficial. Future studies should examine the benefits of CURE as compared to other pedagogical models and opportunities for research participation.