Two strategies can reduce this challenge.
First, seek labs, not individuals. In many universities, each professor heads a lab to research a specific topic—like smoking, emotions, memory. Students can ask for details to join that lab, and work with others on common projects. For example, students who check Fordham University can
find a roster of 19 psychology labs that promote student research in their quest for new knowledge. There is also the
Fordham Institute, which encourages student research on diverse “social issues” (Takooshian, 2013), and can result in student presentations (Bhatta, Oo, & Takooshian, 2020) or publications (Takooshian & Weis, 2021).
Second, distinguish between two very different types of research: “student-based” (where the student starts with a specific question) and “faculty-based” (where the student is open to the mentor’s topics). While some students seek an expert on their pre-chosen question, this is more challenging than asking to work with a mentor on a new aspect of the mentor’s own topics (Takooshian, 1993).
Emily Leary Chesnes, an APA staff member whose portfolio is focused on high school psychology, shared several helpful resources for high school researchers and their teachers. Several of these resources support high school teachers in mentoring their own students.
In August of 2022, after consulting with several experts on student research, we three created and posted a new 30-minute video to benefit high school researchers (Takooshian & Caballo, 2022). You can
watch this video online here. If you watch this video, we invite your feedback through this
survey found here. Based on viewers’ anonymous comments, we hope to find funding for a more in-depth video or online workshop to assist high school researchers and their teachers. With luck, high school research will flourish, when students are better able to find a mentor.