Students as Researchers and Participants: A Model of Iterative Member-Checking for Inclusive, Equity-Centered Assessment Research

Previous research on student learning outcomes has begun to advocate for the inclusion of student researchers. To fully grasp undergraduate student perspectives of learning objectives, this study was co-created and conducted by undergraduate student researchers, allowing for an inclusive, equity-centered research model to guide our findings. We argue that the intentional choice to involve students as participant-researchers and enact an iterative member checking process throughout the research allowed us to discover more nuanced findings on the topic of student learning outcomes. Specifically, not only are clear and transparent student learning outcomes necessary for academic success, as previous literature suggests, but we also found that confusion around learning outcomes causes emotional responses that negatively impact student perceptions of themselves and college, a finding which was elucidated through our methodological approach.