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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Educ.

Sec. Higher Education

Students' Expectations for Learning Scientific Research

Provisionally accepted
Edson Huaire-InacioEdson Huaire-Inacio1Maura Alfaro SaavedraMaura Alfaro Saavedra2Aldo Pineda PalominoAldo Pineda Palomino3César Merino-SotoCésar Merino-Soto4,5Marisol Angulo-RamosMarisol Angulo-Ramos6Guillermo M. ChansGuillermo M. Chans7,8*
  • 1Universidad Cesar Vallejo, Trujillo, Peru
  • 2Universidad Nacional de Educacion Enrique Guzman y Valle, Lima District, Peru
  • 3Universidad Catolica Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo, Chiclayo, Peru
  • 4Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico
  • 5Universidad de San Martin de Porres, Lima District, Peru
  • 6Universidad Autonoma de Ica, Chincha Alta, Peru
  • 7Institute for the Future of Education, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM), Monterrey, Mexico
  • 8Tecnologico de Monterrey Escuela de Ingenieria y Ciencias, Monterrey, Mexico

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This study examines undergraduate students' expectations for learning scientific research, a topic often marked by challenges in engagement during academic training. Using a qualitative design grounded in a constructivist paradigm and a phenomenological–hermeneutic approach, we explored the expectations of students enrolled in an education program at a private university in Lima, Peru. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten participants using five open-ended prompts. Thematic analysis revealed six categories of expectations: (1) learning to search for scientific information; (2) conducting empirical research; (3) acquiring knowledge; (4) learning to write a thesis; (5) developing scientific writing skills; and (6) staying current with scientific advances. Students described these expectations as attainable and functional goals within their training context and consistently emphasized the teacher's role as pivotal, serving as a model, guide, and provider of feedback. The findings suggest that aligning course design and instruction with these expectation categories may foster students' interest in research and strengthen their engagement in scholarly practices.

Keywords: Educational innovation, expectations, higher education, Knowledge acquisition, Peruvian, Science learning, Scientific research

Received: 26 Sep 2025; Accepted: 26 Jan 2026.

Copyright: © 2026 Huaire-Inacio, Alfaro Saavedra, Pineda Palomino, Merino-Soto, Angulo-Ramos and Chans. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Guillermo M. Chans

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material