About the Challenges in Undergraduate Research Projects: An Explorative Case Study in a Sri Lankan National University

Conducting research and writing a thesis about it is regarded as a distinctive pedagogy (learning through inquiry) within higher education which brings new challenges to all parties involved. To complete a thesis, students should select a problem, make a systematic plan, implement the plan and, finally, write a report of the process and findings. Students do have a supervisor to guide and support them, but it is the student who plays the key role in the whole research process. The present study is a qualitative, explorative case study to understand the challenges related to research projects within undergraduate management degree programmes in a Sri Lankan national University. Data have been collected using interviews and focus group discussions in six-degree programmes, with around 40 participants in total. The study focuses on identifying problematic areas and creating a general picture of why students’ research projects are not progressing favourably. Six main challenges were identified: student motivation, student-supervisor relationships, skills and knowledge, students’ workload, the structure of the research project course, and resources and ICT tools. These problematic areas are complex and multidimensional. Therefore, further studies are required to truly understand the complex interrelatedness of these areas.