Enhancing graduate education pathways: a case study of a STEM undergraduate research experience program

Purpose Many studies have examined undergraduate research experiences (UREs) as an influential approach to encouraging undergraduates to pursue doctoral education. However, less is known about the different ways UREs can support students in developing and pursuing graduate intentions. This paper aims to understand how a URE program can support students’ intentions to apply to and enroll in graduate education. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted an instrumental case study that focuses on one URE as a bounded system. Using a constant–comparative analytical method, the authors propose a typology of different types of support that mattered to students who participated in the URE. Findings The URE offered four types of support: aspirational support, social support, functional support and connections to opportunities. Within the domain of functional support, this study identified a specific type of assistance – financial support – necessary for many students from underrepresented backgrounds to forego outside employment and participate in the URE. Originality/value This case study builds upon prior quantitative research that examines the relationship between URE participation and an array of affective, educational and career outcomes. Although this case study is not directly generalizable to other UREs, this paper offers a novel typology of support types and has potentially transferrable implications for considering how to design, evaluate and study UREs.