Preliminary study on the factors influencing topic selection for undergraduate thesis in the pratacultural science major: A case study of Lanzhou University

The undergraduate thesis is a key link in undergraduate education and an important basis for awarding the degree. Topic selection is the primary step in completing the thesis, and the appropriateness of the selected topic is related to the quality of the thesis. However, research has found that undergraduate students face many problems in the process of topic selection, such as haste and a lack of innovation. This study took undergraduate students of pratacultural science from Lanzhou University in 2019 as a research case and explored the factors influencing topic selection for the undergraduate thesis through a survey questionnaire. The results showed that most survey respondents had a clear understanding of topic selection for their thesis, and most believed that the topic of an undergraduate thesis should have high novelty (64%), good research enthusiasm (49%), and strong practical applicability (66%). Factors influencing topic selection for undergraduate thesis in the pratacultural science major mainly included three aspects: subjective factors, supervisor factors, and other objective factors. Among them, the supervisor’s guidance played an extremely important role. This study suggests that the mentorship system should continue to be promoted, mentors’ sense of responsibility should be strengthened, and the establishment of supervision and evaluation mechanisms should be reinforced to ensure that the mentorship system has a positive impact on topic selection for undergraduate thesis. Additionally, the professional competence of undergraduate students should be enhanced via methods such as classroom expansion and academic practice to broaden their horizons, exert subjective initiative, and effectively improve the quality of topic selection for undergraduate thesis. This study could provide a theoretical basis and support for the construction of pratacultural science and the cultivation of undergraduate students in Chinese universities.