Conference Attendance Increases Undergraduate Student Research Identity, Self-Efficacy, and Skills, Especially for Underrepresented Groups

Numerous studies have demonstrated the positive impacts of undergraduate research experiences on student success. Far less studied is the impact of conference attendance on undergraduate researchers. This study investigated that impact via pre-post surveys of students attending the 2025 Florida Undergraduate Research Conference. Our results show that undergraduate attendees experienced a significant increase in self-efficacy and research identity, but not research community values. Furthermore, all attendees reported improvements in research-related skills, with 90% reporting improvement in all six skill areas measured. These skill improvements were generally greater for underrepresented groups. These results demonstrate the value of including conference attendance in undergraduate research experiences.