Universidad Veracruzana

Research has shown that offering research opportunities to undergraduate students in education-related disciplines renders benefits for growth and intellectual development (Craney, McKay, Mazzeo, Prigodich, & Groot, 2011; Osborn & Karukstis, 2009). Undergraduate research also encourages leadership, collaboration, and enhances students’ written and oral communication skills (Ishiyama, 2002; Kuh, 2008). According to Mabrouk and Peters (2000), 98% of the 320 past and present Under Graduate Research participants they surveyed would recommend undergraduate research to their peers. Undergraduate research has also been shown to support student retention (Burns & Goldin, 2017; Eagen et al., 2013; Webber, Nelson Laird, & BrekaLorenz, 2013). Nevertheless, in the Mexican context there seems to be a scarcity of empirical studies conducted to explore teacher trainees’ research engagement with respect to their perceptions and practices. Therefore, this study aims precisely to investigate the conceptions held by a group of BA Degree in English students and to specify their level of research engagement.