National Collegiate Honors Council

 

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Date of this Version

2025

Document Type

Article

Citation

Honors in Practice (2025) 21: 127-145

Comments

Copyright 2025, NCHC and the authors. Used by permission

Abstract

Completion of an undergraduate thesis can be a transformational experience for honors students because they learn that they can contribute original intellectual thought to the record of scholarly knowledge. This essay considers how the misconceptions and challenges of an honors thesis can discourage students from undertaking the task. Authors describe the design, delivery, sequencing, resources, and administration of a junior-level thesis proposal course aimed at abating student anxiety over and supporting faculty engagement of thesis work. The Hopscotch Model, a tool to help novice researchers thoroughly design qualitative research studies while learning the philosophical underpinnings of a particular form of research, is used to guide students in developing their research in requisite ways for thesis achievement.

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