Cultural Engagement in Undergraduate Research Programming: Connecting Culture with Student Success

Undergraduate research programs are commonly critiqued as culturally neutral in the way that they define student success with race-neutral measures, thus limiting diverse ideas of student success (Hawkins et al.,2023). The Ralph J. Bunche Fellows program (BFP) at UCLA funds undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral scholars, to study the conditions of Black life. BFP transcends disciplinary boundaries by connecting faculty and students as they conduct transformative research, provide students learning opportunities, and implement progressive change in educational practices and social policy. The objective of this presentation is to discuss the findings from our mixed-method case study on BFP. Drawing upon both interview and survey data across four cohorts of undergraduate fellows, the case study highlights the impact of a culturally grounded research program on student development and student outcomes.

Study participants that are alumni of UCLA have gone onto US Law Schools, pursue PhD programs, and study abroad in masters’ programs. Participants who are current students shared the following perspectives about BFP:

“I had a great experience. It's an academic setting, but it felt like a family environment. That was something that I really appreciated because I don't think I had that in many other spaces at UCLA”.

Another participant reflected on how BFP shaped their development.

“BFP is definitely the most challenging academic/personal development experience I’ve had at UCLA, because the responsibilities of my research forced me outside of my comfort zone, but truly in the most rewarding way to prepare me for a greater purpose” .

Furthermore, the program expanded the fellows’ worldview on Black experience.

“It made me feel more connected to other parts of the diaspora. I learned a lot about other aspects of Blackness outside my own”.

Drawing from these findings, we discuss the importance of cultural engagement in undergraduate research programming.