ArticlePDF Available

Students’ perceived research skills development and satisfaction after completion of a mandatory research project: results from five cohorts of the Sydney medical program

Springer Nature
BMC Medical Education
Authors:

Abstract and Figures

Background Research activities undertaken during University studies contribute to preparation of medical students for practice of evidence-based medicine. This study aimed to understand medical students’ experiences, perceived research skills development and satisfaction associated with completion of mandatory research projects. Methods An online survey was sent to five cohorts of students (n = 1375) from years 2017–2021 at the completion of their research projects. Univariate analysis was conducted to understand students’ perception of research skills development, followed by linear regression modeling to explore factors influencing satisfaction with their research project. Manifest content analysis employing a framework approach was used to analyse qualitative data from responses to open ended questions. Results Response rate was 42%, with 513 (89%) returned surveys being complete and included in analysis. Whilst 37% of students felt they had requisite research skills before undertaking the research project, 84% reported they had these skills after completing the project (χ² = 8.99, P = 0.02). Mean satisfaction score of the students was 5.0/10 (+/- 2.5, median = 6 (IQR = 3.0–7.0) with 59% of students reporting satisfaction scores higher than the average. Higher satisfaction scores were reported by those who perceived that: research methods and teaching was useful in preparing them for conducting research; the research project helped them acquire new skills; the project resulted in peer-reviewed publication; and, who felt supported by their supervisors. Responses to open ended questions offered important insights into student experience and emphasised the importance of supportive supervisors and the need for a dedicated research block in the busy medical program. Conclusions The majority of students reported positive outcomes from the mandatory research project. Student satisfaction can be improved by ensuring supportive research environments and high-quality supervision, and inclusion of dedicated research time in the medical curriculum.
This content is subject to copyright. Terms and conditions apply.
RESEARCH Open Access
© The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use,
sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and
the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this
article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included
in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will
need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The
Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available
in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.
Kaur et al. BMC Medical Education (2023) 23:502
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04475-y BMC Medical Education
*Correspondence:
Rajneesh Kaur
rajneesh.kaur@sydney.edu.au
Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
Abstract
Background Research activities undertaken during University studies contribute to preparation of medical students
for practice of evidence-based medicine. This study aimed to understand medical students’ experiences, perceived
research skills development and satisfaction associated with completion of mandatory research projects.
Methods An online survey was sent to five cohorts of students (n = 1375) from years 2017–2021 at the completion
of their research projects. Univariate analysis was conducted to understand students’ perception of research skills
development, followed by linear regression modeling to explore factors influencing satisfaction with their research
project. Manifest content analysis employing a framework approach was used to analyse qualitative data from
responses to open ended questions.
Results Response rate was 42%, with 513 (89%) returned surveys being complete and included in analysis. Whilst
37% of students felt they had requisite research skills before undertaking the research project, 84% reported they
had these skills after completing the project (χ2 = 8.99, P = 0.02). Mean satisfaction score of the students was 5.0/10
(+/- 2.5, median = 6 (IQR = 3.0–7.0) with 59% of students reporting satisfaction scores higher than the average.
Higher satisfaction scores were reported by those who perceived that: research methods and teaching was useful in
preparing them for conducting research; the research project helped them acquire new skills; the project resulted in
peer-reviewed publication; and, who felt supported by their supervisors. Responses to open ended questions offered
important insights into student experience and emphasised the importance of supportive supervisors and the need
for a dedicated research block in the busy medical program.
Students’ perceived research skills
development and satisfaction after
completion of a mandatory research project:
results from ve cohorts of the Sydney
medical program
Rajneesh Kaur1*, Jonathan Hakim1, Richmond Jeremy1, Genevieve Coorey2, Eszter Kalman3, Rebekah Jenkin4,
David G Bowen1 and Joanne Hart1
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Page 2 of 9
Kaur et al. BMC Medical Education (2023) 23:502
Introduction
e practice of evidence based medicine (EBM) requires
medical practitioners to acquire, appraise and apply the
best research evidence to their clinical practice [15].
Research activities such as research projects undertaken
during the medical degree, can assist to equip students
with essential skills to practice EBM [15]. It is well doc-
umented that research projects provide medical students
with key research skills and enhance their confidence to
undertake research during their future clinical practice
and professional career [6, 7]. Research activities under-
taken during the medical degree also have the potential
to encourage or deter future participation in research [8].
A poor research experience consequent upon a lack of
understanding of research process, inadequate training
and/or supervision, or lack of time and funding, may lead
students to become disinterested in research [9, 10].
It is therefore important to explore students’ experi-
ences of research and use their feedback to inform the
future design of research projects embeded in the medi-
cal degree. is study aimed to understand medical stu-
dents’ experience and satisfaction with a mandatory
research project and to investigate whether students
considered that the project was helpful in developing
skills for future research activities. Barriers and enablers
to the undertaking of these research projects were also
explored.
Context
In 2014, the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree at e
University of Sydney introduced a mandatory research
project (MD research project) as part of its graduate cur-
riculum. e students complete an independent research
project under the supervision of a member of the Univer-
sity staff or an affiliate. Students are offered a choice of
project options based, for example, on clinical, biomedi-
cal, epidemiological topics, using public health data, or
based on medical education, information technology,
policy, law and ethics. Students express their preferences
and are matched with their research project and supervi-
sor at the end of first year, after the delivery of the aca-
demic content on research methods and ethics. Both
qualititve and quantitative research methodologies can
be used for projects. e research projects are carried
out in 10 centres including urban clinical schools, two
rural clinical schools and the main campus of the Uni-
versity. Ethics approval, if required for a project, is usu-
ally obtained by the research supervisor before project
commencement, although a small number of students
drafted a complete research protocol (including both sci-
entific and ethics aspects) on a major complex study as
their research project. To prevent project delays or the
need for extensive modification, project progress was
reviewed through regular milestones. Students who did
not have ethics approval in place by the third milestone
(approximately six - nine months after project com-
mencement) were assisted to rescope or amend their
project to ensure that it could be completed within the
available time.
e majority of project supervisors have a clinical or
research background. ere were no specified mini-
mum supervisor criteria, each research hub had an MD
Research Coordinator who both vetted and advised
potential supervisors and provided support as needed
once projects were underway. Typically, a supervisor
has 2–5 students, although some have only one student.
Supervisors guide students during all phases from topic
selection to writing up the final report. Within their aca-
demic timetable in the first two years of their MD degree,
students receive additional teaching on research meth-
ods and ethics, and sessions with librarians supporting
basic literature searching. ese sessions give students
grounding in both qualitative and quantitative research
methodologies. Progressive and final summative assess-
ment of research projects is achieved through a series of
milestone assessment tasks and the completion of a final
written report, synthesising the results in a 3000 word
publication format. Students have an opportunity to
share their research findings through oral and poster pre-
sentations at a research symposium. During the period of
this study, projects required a minimum of 320h work
over two and a half years, carried out in addition to of
the overall MD program without any dedicated research
time. e teaching elements of the program (e.g. lectures,
workshops) and the milestone meetings are run outside
of the direct research time.
Methods
Participants
A total of 1375 students from five cohorts who completed
the medical program between 2017 and 2021 were sent
the participant information sheet and link to the online
survey by email after completion of their MD research
project. e survey was undertaken using the Lime Sur-
vey tool (www.limesurvey.org) from 2017 to 2019 and
QualtricsXM (https://www.qualtrics.com/au/ ) from 2020.
Conclusions The majority of students reported positive outcomes from the mandatory research project. Student
satisfaction can be improved by ensuring supportive research environments and high-quality supervision, and
inclusion of dedicated research time in the medical curriculum.
Keywords Medical students, Research projects, Research skills, Student satisfaction
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Page 3 of 9
Kaur et al. BMC Medical Education (2023) 23:502
Participation was voluntary, and consent was implied if
the completed survey was returned. Data collection was
anonymous. e study was approved by e University
of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee, (Approval
#2017/748).
Survey instrument
A survey instrument with 52 questions was developed
based on extensive research of previous student evalua-
tion literature. Content validity of the survey was deter-
mined by faculty based experts in medical education. e
original draft instrument underwent pilot evaluation with
students and academics/clinicians who were involved in
the medical program. e reliability of the questionnaire
was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha [11]. e estimated
time for students to complete the survey was 30min. A
combination of questions with Likert-type responses,
multiple choice answers and free text comments were
used. Project-specific information was collected through
seven items; information related to research skills devel-
opment was collected through three items; and ten items
collected information about research methods teaching.
e role of research supervisors was assessed through
thirteen items, and eleven items collected information
about project milestones, presentations and final report
writing. A final set of seven questions asked about stu-
dents’ overall assessment of the project plus barriers and
enablers in completing the project. Student satisfaction
with the project, reported on a 10-point scale ranging
from 1 for least satisfied to 10 for most satisfied, was con-
sidered the main outcome measure.
Outcomes
Although research is frequently intended for publication,
the primary aim of the MD research project is to develop
important skills, such as evaluating scientific literature
and understanding and experiencing the research pro-
cess. e outcomes of this study were therefore measured
through student self-reported research skills develop-
ment, research output and overall student satisfaction
with the research experience.
Data analysis
e Cronbach’s α was found to be 0.781. Descriptive data
for survey variables are presented as mean ± standard
deviation of variable scores. Continuous variables were
compared by independent samples t-test for two groups
and analysis of variance (ANOVA) test if more than two
groups were included. Categorical data were compared
using Pearson’s Chi square test. A linear regression model
was constructed to measure effect of various factors on
student satisfaction. Variance of inflation factor to assess
collinearity, standardised residuals to detect and evaluate
outliers and Cook’s distance to identify influential cases
were used for this model. e significance level for all
tests was set at P < 0.05. Analyses were performed using
IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0. (IBM
SPSS Statistics,Armonk, MY). Manifest content analysis,
which involves describing the text instead of developing
themes, [12, 13] was used to analyse textual data from
open ended questions. A systematic approach known as
framework analysis [14] was utilised to organise and anal-
yse the qualitative data. e data were initially reviewed
and patterns were identified, resulting in a set of codes
based on the key concepts that emerged from the analy-
sis. ese codes were then applied to the data and sum-
marised to identify any patterns or relationships between
the codes. Conclusions were drawn from this analysis.
Results
Of 1375 students invited, 577 students completed the
survey, corresponding to a response rate of 42% which
ranged from 40 to 43% across all five cohorts. After
exclusion of incomplete surveys, a final sample of 513
was included in the analysis. Supplementary Table dis-
plays the main codes that were derived from the content
analysis supported with examples quotes. ese quotes
are alos used in the main text of results to reinforce the
relevant findings.
Characteristics of MD research project
Most projects (n = 292, 57%) were based on clinical data,
while projects based on information technology (n = 15,
3%) and medical education (n = 15, 3%) were least com-
monly undertaken. Almost one third (148/513, 29%) of
students completed an extended rural placement either
during the third or fourth year of their medical degree
which meant they were remote from their project loca-
tion for the final stages of the project.
Main barriers and enablers to completing the research
project
Student perceptions of the main enablers to completing
their research were support/expertise of the research
tutor (400/513, 78%), flexibility to undertake a project
they could do from different locations (364/513, 71%),
and the process of writing up the final report (359/513,
70%) (See Fig.1).
e main barriers perceived by students to complet-
ing their research project were competing academic
demands of the overall medical program (379/513, 74%)
and lack of dedicated time in the curriculum for the con-
duct of research (318/513, 62%).
Research skills development
Only 37% (189/513) of students thought they had the
necessary research skills at the beginning of their proj-
ect to complete a research project. A significantly higher
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Page 4 of 9
Kaur et al. BMC Medical Education (2023) 23:502
number of students (431/513, 84%, χ2 = 8.99, P = 0.02)
reported having acquired the necessary research skills
as a result of completing the project. Literature search-
ing and data analysis were reported as the research skills
gained by the majority of students (379/513, 74% and
426/513, 83% respectively). Responses to open ended
questions overwhelmingly supported the benefits of hav-
ing gained research skills, as reflected in the following
quote:
“e opportunity to independently carry out and
undertake a project that improved my analyti-
cal, creative and logical skills. e project had also
helped me improve my communication and critical
thinking skills.” (Student from 2021 cohort).
Some students did not feel they had acquired any new
skills while a few thought it was difficult to acquire new
skills, as reflected in the student quote below:
“ I found it dicult to balance developing these skills
with the other demands of the project.” (Student from
2021 cohort).
A few students felt encouraged to undertake research in
the future, as expressed in the quotes below:
“e research project is valuable as it has given me
the condence to seek future research opportunities.
Going from literally zero to a complete research proj-
ect. Learning how to search the literature, develop a
research question, devise methodology, collect data,
analyse data, and write up a paper. A stepping stone
towards what a real-life situation would be once
fully graduated and furthering a career.” (Student
from 2020 cohort).
“It was a good experience to go through the process
of doing research and I learned about the challenges
I will face in the future if I choose to undertake
research.” (Student from 2020 cohort).
Prior research experience
More than half of the students (n = 297, 58%) reported
that they had worked on a research project during their
undergraduate or postgraduate studies prior to medi-
cal school. 38% (114/297) of these students had done
an Honours project and 14% (43/297) reported having
a doctoral degree, while others reported having gained
research experience through a summer research proj-
ect, Masters’ degree, or through a research assistant role.
Most (n = 190, 64%) of these students found their prior
research experience to be helpful in completing their
research project.
Utility of research skills training activities
Only 44% (225/513) of students considered research
methods teaching as helpful in relation to their capacity
Fig. 1 Main barriers and enablers to completing the research project. Note: Multiple responses were allowed.
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Page 5 of 9
Kaur et al. BMC Medical Education (2023) 23:502
to complete their MD research project. Research skills
teaching methods and their perceived utility are shown
in Fig.2. Library workshops, critical appraisal workshops
and research methodology lectures were considered most
beneficial by students.
Role of supervisor
e majority of students considered their supervisors
as supportive (353/513, 83%), good in communicating
expectations (379/513,74%), and highly experienced in
research (430/513,84%). Only 31% (159/513) reported
meeting their supervisors regularly in addition to man-
dated milestone meetings, with the remaining students
meeting their supervisors either infrequently or only at
milestones.
e majority of students who provided feedback in
open ended responses about their supervisors character-
ised them as exceptional, remarkable, impressive, or as a
valuable asset to their research experience. An expression
of positive supervisor experience was reflected in the fol-
lowing quote:
“My supervisor was very enthusiastic, knowledge-
able, supportive and provided an excellent learning
environment and pushed me to grow in areas I was
unfamiliar with.” (Student from 2020 cohort).
Many students credited their ability to publish to their
supervisors:
“My supervisors were fantastic and made the entire
MD project experience a positive one. I am grateful
to have had the opportunity to work with them and
to produce a piece of research which has been pub-
lished-good for my CV.” (Student from 2019 cohort).
ose who were not satisfied with their supervisor felt
that either their supervsior was too busy or was inexpe-
rienced, as suggested by the following student comments:
“ Whilst my supervisors were very nice and support-
ive people, they were exceptionally busy clinicians
who do not have the time to fully instruct me on the
steps required to conduct a research project.” (Stu-
dent from 2021 cohort).
“My supervisor was clear in what he wanted, but did
not have experience in the eld so left it to other peo-
ple to provide assistance. Often they were hard to to
reach or provided limited assistance.” (Student from
2019 cohort).
Fig. 2 Rating of usefulness of research methods teaching in completing the research project
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Page 6 of 9
Kaur et al. BMC Medical Education (2023) 23:502
Research output
21% (107/513) of students reported having submitted
a manuscript based on their project to a peer reviewed
journal. A further 13% (67/513) reported currently work-
ing on a manuscript for journal submission. In addition,
18% of students presented or were intending to present
their findings at a local or international conference.
Dedicated time
e need for dedicated time for completion of the
research project was identified in students’ comments:
“Having a dedicated time for it e.g., 8 weeks, rather
than having to do it in between everything else over
3 years. It was nice to get into a nice ow for a few
weeks then take time o due to academic demands
then jump back in” (Student from 2019 cohort).
A more dedicated time period for MD project com-
pletion as I found one of the most dicult parts was
tting in my MD project around my academic time-
table.” (Student from 2017 cohort).
Student satisfaction
Overall mean satisfaction score for the MD research
project was 5.0 (± 2.5) out of a total score of 10, with 59%
students reporting their satisfaction above this mean
score. e mean satisfaction scores ranged from 4.7 to
5.1 across five cohorts. Median score was 6 (IQR-3-7).
e number of students in a project group had no asso-
ciation with overall student satisfaction. Similarly, type of
research project, project location and whether the stu-
dent had prior research experience were not associated
with student satisfaction. On univariate analysis signifi-
cant associations were seen between student satisfaction
and factors related to supervisors, perceived usefulness
of research and ethics teaching, research skills develop-
ment and research outputs. Mean satisfaction scores cor-
responding to these factors are shown in Fig.3.
e results from linear regression model are shown
in Table 1. Overall, students who reported having
acquired new skills indicated a higher satisfaction score
(mean = 5.5 ± 2.2) compared to those reported acquiring
no new skills (mean = 2.1 ± 1.6, β = 2.937 (95% CI = 2.178–
3.695; P < 0.001). ose students who considered that
research methods skills and ethics teaching were help-
ful in gaining research skills were more satisfied (mean
Fig. 3 Univariate analysis of factors associated with student satisfaction. Note: P values were significant for scores comparing those who said yes from
those who said no for all statements shown in the figure.
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Page 7 of 9
Kaur et al. BMC Medical Education (2023) 23:502
score = 5.6 ± 2.2) than those who did not find these to be
helpful (mean score 3.9 ± 2.3, β = 1.436 (95% CI = 0.809–
2.064); P < 0.001). ose who felt supported by their
supervisors reportedhigher satisfaction (mean score
5.1 ± 2.3) than those who did not feel supported (mean
score: 4.6 ± 2.1, β = 0.257 (95% CI=-0.119-0.633; P = 0.012).
Having a research output in the form of a publication or
a conference presentation led to higher mean satisfac-
tion scores (mean score: 6.1+/-2.4) compared to not hav-
ing such outputs (mean score = 4.4 ± 2.0, β = 1.014 (95%
CI = 0.185–3.752;P < 0.001) (See Table1).
Discussion
Our findings suggest that medical students considered
their research experience undertaken as a mandatory
research project as positive overall. eir satisfaction
with the research project was mainly driven by factors
such as supportive supervisors, research skills training,
achieving research outputs and development of research
skills.
ere is a shortage of physician researchers in Austra-
lia [15]. To address this issue, it has been suggested that
efforts to increase student interest in medical research
should be made during the medical degree [6]. One
approach to achieve this may be through an increased
emphasis on research skill development during medical
studies. Research projects are instructive in the principles
of EBM and its relevance to clinical practice, thus helping
students to understand the rationale behind their clinical
decision making. A previous review established this as
the main motivator in participating in research [6]. It was
encouraging to find that 84% of respondents in this study
reported having gained research skills.
Prior research experience has been recognised as an
important motivator to undertake and complete research
projects during a medical degree [16]. Similar to findings
from past research [9, 16, 17] more than 50% of our stu-
dents reported having research experience prior to medi-
cal school. It is expected that those with prior research
experience have better knowledge, skills and confidence
in conducting research than those without this experi-
ence. However, there have been mixed responses in the
literature about whether students are better engaged
in a research project if they have prior research experi-
ence [9]. In fact, it has been reported that medical stu-
dents may not see any value in a research project to
their career progression when they have a prior research
based degree such as a doctorate. Our findings indicate
that students who had prior research experience found it
helpful to complete the research project, although their
overall satisfaction scores were not different from those
who did not have any prior research experience. It would
be important to explore in future studies if students
planned to continue research activities after medical
school, and whether prior research experienced influ-
enced this sentiment.
e role of supervisors in completing research proj-
ects and developing student appreciation of the value of
research cannot be overemphasised. Supportive supervi-
sors with relevant research experience, clear communi-
cation of expectations, and availability to meet regularly
with their students were identified as the key factors con-
tributing to higher levels of student satisfaction. It is well
recognised that the success of student research initiatives
rely on suitably qualified and experienced supervisors
[1820]. Our findings indicate that a supportive super-
visor led to higher satisfaction with research activities.
e qualitative comments in our study were overwhelm-
ingly appreciative of supervisors. Students reported that
their supervisors were knowledgeable and also guided
them to develop essential research skills and, for some,
to publish their work. On the other hand, poor mentor-
ship and poor role models are among the key factors that
prevent medical students from engaging in research [9,
16, 19]. Our previous research arising from the Sydney
Medical Program has reported that the barriers identi-
fied by academic and clinician supervisors also include
having limited research experience, and time and other
resource constraints within their roles [21]. Reasons for
inadequate supervision are therefore multifactorial, and
our findings concur with other studies regarding the
importance of the supervisor role in enabling a successful
student research experience.
Our findings from this study indicate that those stu-
dents who reported having published their research were
more satisfied with the research project than those who
did not publish. Research outputs mainly in the form of
peer-reviewed publications are valued by medical stu-
dents, as these are helpful in career progression and
for competing and applying for future specialist train-
ing [22]. Arguably they are also considered indicators of
successful research. An important skill many students
learn from completing the research project is preparing
their work for publication. Publishing as first author is a
Table 1 Results from linear regression model showing factors significantly associated with student satisfaction
Factors aecting student satisfaction β (95% CI) P value
The research methods ethics teaching was useful in preparing me for conducting my research. 1.436 (0.809–2.064) < 0.001
I felt supported by my supervisor 0.257 (-0.119-0.633) 0.012
I acquired new skills as a result of working on the research project 2.937 (2.178–3.695) < 0.001
My project resulted in a peer reviewed paper submitted for publication 1.014 (0.185–3.752 < 0.001
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Page 8 of 9
Kaur et al. BMC Medical Education (2023) 23:502
valuable addition to a professional curriculum vitae and
may therefore be a contributor to future career success.
However, the quality of the publication, its relevance and
other factors are also likely to influence the significance of
such publications. Supervisors can engage their students
with research dissemination by facilitating opportuni-
ties for them to publish their research and present their
findings at local and international conferences. ese
outcomes have the potential to foster students’ interest
in research by involving them in the wider research com-
munity [23, 24].
It has also been argued that medical students should
recognise the value of research for the practice of EBM
and not only for gaining a competitive edge in academia
and funding [25]. At the same time, research outputs are
useful rewards for their accomplishments and can work
as encouragements to develop their interest in research.
In addition, other options to encourage medical students
to undertake research should be explored, such as inte-
grated MD/PhD degrees or sponsoring research in col-
laboration with other countries and universities.
Program changes based on survey results
Addressing some of the barriers identified in current and
past research may facilitate better student engagement
with research. Alongside poor supervision, the main bar-
rier identified in our study was lack of dedicated time
in the timetable to do research. is barrier has been
reported in other studies [9, 16, 20]. Based on evaluation
feedback, commencing in 2022 e University of Syd-
ney MD program has incorporated substantial changes
to the research project, chiefly that it is now carried out
in a dedicated block of 14 weeks in the third year of the
program. Recognising that not all research projects can
be finished within a 14-week time slot, students are given
an opportunity to undertake an extended stream project
over one year. Under this option students are given the
choice to continue through to completion their research
project alongside their other studies in addition to the
dedicated 14 weeks block. e option to do an extended
stream project is based on the premise that students who
chose these projects may be more likely to engage in
research and thus would gain higher satisfaction. Further
studies could elucidate how these formats of the research
project impact student satisfaction and engagement with
research.
Important limitations of our study include that it is
based on the experience of students at a single institution
and the response rate is low. Moreover, recall bias may
impact the validity of the findings. ose students who
completed the survey may have been more motivated
to do so because of a strongly positive or negative MD
research project experience. Due to anonymity it was not
possible to link survey responses to course performance
as measured by summative assessment nor to assess
whether the respondents were representative of the
overall MD cohort during the survey period. However,
the data have been collected across five cohorts and the
findings are consistent across all five cohorts. An impor-
tant future step would be to examine if medical students
engage in further research activities beyond their degree
requirements. eir involvement in research could be
ascertained by examining how many of them author pub-
lications, pursue a PhD degree or apply for competitive
grants and research fellowships. Our immediate next
step focuses on verifying publications by screening and
matching journal papers with student records. Matching
this information with self-reported publication data and
prior research experience would assist in confirming the
robustness of findings.
In summary, our findings demonstrate that manda-
tory research projects during a medical degree are per-
ceived by students as useful in developing research skills
and therefore important in preparing the next genera-
tion of physician researchers to be competent adopters of
evidence-based medicine. Important structural changes
to the program have been made based on these study
results, and further improvements will include strength-
ening the supportive environments for students.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.
org/10.1186/s12909-023-04475-y.
Supplementary Material 1
Supplementary Material 2
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the medical students from the five cohorts
for completing the surveys. The authors also acknowledge Professor Michael
Frommer and Professor David Tiller who were instrumental in the design,
development, and implementation of the MD research project program.
Administrative management for the MD Project team was provided by
Clara Spencer, Anna Forte, Hannah Bath, Craig Purcell, Paniani Patu and Sally
Middleton. The substantial support of research supervisors and coordinators
of both the research project program and this survey is also acknowledged.
Authors’ contributions
Jonathan Hakim, Rebekah Jenkin, Eszter Kalman, Rajneesh Kaur, Joanne Hart
and David Bowen contributed to the study conception and design. Data
collection was performed by Jonathan Hakim and Joanne Hart. Data analyses
were performed by Rajneesh Kaur. The first draft of the manuscript was
written by Rajneesh Kaur and all authors commented on subsequent versions
of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Funding
No funding was received for this work.
Data Availability
The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are not
publicly available, as per conditions of Ethics Committee approval, but are
available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Page 9 of 9
Kaur et al. BMC Medical Education (2023) 23:502
Declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Ethics approval and consent to participate
This research project was approved by the University of Sydney Human
Research Ethics Committee, #2017/748. All methods were carried out in
accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. Informed consent was
obtained from all participants.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Author details
1School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of
Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia
2School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of
Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia
3Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Education), Educational Innovation
Team, DVC(E) Portfolio, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia
4School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of
Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia
Received: 5 December 2022 / Accepted: 24 June 2023
References
1. Hautz SC, Hautz WE, Feufel MA, Spies CD. What makes a doctor a scholar: a
systematic review and content analysis of outcome frameworks. BMC Med
Educ. 2016;16(1):119.
2. Irby D. Educating physicians for the future: Carnegie’s calls for reform. Med
Teach. 2011;33(7):547–50.
3. Laidlaw A, Guild S, Struthers J. Graduate attributes in the disciplines of Medi-
cine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine: a survey of expert opinions. BMC
Med Educ. 2009;9(1):28.
4. Lawson PJ, Smith S, Mason MJ, Zyzanski SJ, Stange KC, Werner JJ, et al. Creat-
ing a culture of inquiry in family medicine. Fam Med. 2014;46(7):515–21.
5. Ogunyemi D, Bazargan M, Norris K, Jones-Quaidoo S, Wolf K, Edelstein R et al.
The development of a mandatory medical thesis in an urban medical school.
Teach Learn Med. 2005;17(4):363–9.
6. Chang Y, Ramnanan CJ. A review of literature on medical students and
scholarly research: experiences, attitudes, and outcomes. Acad medicine: J
Association Am Med Colleges. 2015;90(8):1162–73.
7. Havnaer AG, Chen AJ, Greenberg PB. Scholarly concentration programs and
medical student research productivity: a systematic review. Perspect Med
Educ. 2017;6(4):216–26.
8. Galletly C, Chur-Hansen A, Air T, Chapman I. Academics of the future? A sur-
vey of final year medical students. Australasian psychiatry: bulletin of Royal
Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. 2009;17(6):502–5.
9. Siemens DR, Punnen S, Wong J, Kanji N. A survey on the attitudes towards
research in medical school. BMC Med Educ. 2010;10(1):4.
10. de Oliveira NA, Luz MR, Saraiva RM, Alves LA. Student views of research train-
ing programmes in medical schools. Med Educ. 2011;45(7):748–55.
11. Tavakol M, Dennick R. Making sense of Cronbach’s alpha. Int J Med Educ.
2011;2:53–5.
12. Graneheim UH, Lundman B. Qualitative content analysis in nursing research:
concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness. Nurse Educ
Today. 2004;24(2):105–12.
13. Kondrack i NL, Wellman NS, Amundson DR. Content analysis: review of
methods and their applications in nutrition education. J Nutr Educ Behav.
2002;34(4):224–30.
14. Ritchie J, Lewis J, Nicholls CM, Ormston R. Qualitative research practice: a
guide for social science students. and researchers: sage; 2013.
15. Mills JMZ, Januszewski AS, Robinson BG, Traill CL, Jenkins AJ, Keech AC.
Attractions and barriers to australian physician-researcher careers. Intern Med
J. 2019;49(2):171–81.
16. Griffin MF, Hindocha S. Publication practices of medical students at british
medical schools: experience, attitudes and barriers to publish. Med Teach.
2011;33(1):e1–8.
17. Jacobs CD, Cross PC. The value of medical student research: the experience at
Stanford University School of Medicine. Med Educ. 1995;29(5):342–6.
18. Zier K, Stagnaro-Green A. A multifaceted program to encourage medi-
cal students’ research. Acad medicine: J Association Am Med Colleges.
2001;76(7):743–7.
19. Rosenkranz SK, Wang S, Hu W. Motivating medical students to do research:
a mixed methods study using self-determination theory. BMC Med Educ.
2015;15(1):95.
20. Cornett M, Palermo C, Wallace MJ, Diug B, Ward B. A realist review of scholarly
experiences in medical education. Med Educ. 2021;55(2):159–66.
21. Hart J, Hakim J, Kaur R, Jeremy R, Coorey G, Kalman E, et al. Research supervi-
sors’ views of barriers and enablers for research projects undertaken by medi-
cal students; a mixed methods evaluation of a post-graduate medical degree
research project program. BMC Med Educ. 2022;22(1):370.
22. Murdoch-Eaton D, Drewery S, Elton S, Emmerson C, Marshall M, Smith JA, et
al. What do medical students understand by Research and Research Skills?
Identifying Research Opportunities within Undergraduate Projects. Med
Teach. 2010;32(3):e152–e60.
23. Solomon SS, Tom SC, Pichert J, Wasserman D, Powers AC. Impact of medical
student research in the development of physician-scientists. J Invest medi-
cine: official publication Am Federation Clin Res. 2003;51(3):149–56.
24. Wilton A, Pananwala H. Publication in the australian medical student journal
is associated with future academic success: a matched-cohort study. BMC
Med Educ. 2022;22(1):586.
25. Amgad M, Man Kin Tsui M, Liptrott SJ, Shash E. Medical Student Research: an
Integrated mixed-methods systematic review and Meta-analysis. PLoS ONE.
2015;10(6):e0127470.
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional affiliations.
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Terms and Conditions
Springer Nature journal content, brought to you courtesy of Springer Nature Customer Service Center GmbH (“Springer Nature”).
Springer Nature supports a reasonable amount of sharing of research papers by authors, subscribers and authorised users (“Users”), for small-
scale personal, non-commercial use provided that all copyright, trade and service marks and other proprietary notices are maintained. By
accessing, sharing, receiving or otherwise using the Springer Nature journal content you agree to these terms of use (“Terms”). For these
purposes, Springer Nature considers academic use (by researchers and students) to be non-commercial.
These Terms are supplementary and will apply in addition to any applicable website terms and conditions, a relevant site licence or a personal
subscription. These Terms will prevail over any conflict or ambiguity with regards to the relevant terms, a site licence or a personal subscription
(to the extent of the conflict or ambiguity only). For Creative Commons-licensed articles, the terms of the Creative Commons license used will
apply.
We collect and use personal data to provide access to the Springer Nature journal content. We may also use these personal data internally within
ResearchGate and Springer Nature and as agreed share it, in an anonymised way, for purposes of tracking, analysis and reporting. We will not
otherwise disclose your personal data outside the ResearchGate or the Springer Nature group of companies unless we have your permission as
detailed in the Privacy Policy.
While Users may use the Springer Nature journal content for small scale, personal non-commercial use, it is important to note that Users may
not:
use such content for the purpose of providing other users with access on a regular or large scale basis or as a means to circumvent access
control;
use such content where to do so would be considered a criminal or statutory offence in any jurisdiction, or gives rise to civil liability, or is
otherwise unlawful;
falsely or misleadingly imply or suggest endorsement, approval , sponsorship, or association unless explicitly agreed to by Springer Nature in
writing;
use bots or other automated methods to access the content or redirect messages
override any security feature or exclusionary protocol; or
share the content in order to create substitute for Springer Nature products or services or a systematic database of Springer Nature journal
content.
In line with the restriction against commercial use, Springer Nature does not permit the creation of a product or service that creates revenue,
royalties, rent or income from our content or its inclusion as part of a paid for service or for other commercial gain. Springer Nature journal
content cannot be used for inter-library loans and librarians may not upload Springer Nature journal content on a large scale into their, or any
other, institutional repository.
These terms of use are reviewed regularly and may be amended at any time. Springer Nature is not obligated to publish any information or
content on this website and may remove it or features or functionality at our sole discretion, at any time with or without notice. Springer Nature
may revoke this licence to you at any time and remove access to any copies of the Springer Nature journal content which have been saved.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Springer Nature makes no warranties, representations or guarantees to Users, either express or implied
with respect to the Springer nature journal content and all parties disclaim and waive any implied warranties or warranties imposed by law,
including merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose.
Please note that these rights do not automatically extend to content, data or other material published by Springer Nature that may be licensed
from third parties.
If you would like to use or distribute our Springer Nature journal content to a wider audience or on a regular basis or in any other manner not
expressly permitted by these Terms, please contact Springer Nature at
onlineservice@springernature.com
... This skill also involves finding answers to questions or solutions to a problem by gathering information (Maddens et al., 2021;Nurlaelah et al., 2020). Research skills are one of the competencies and abilities students need to develop to conduct quality research in academic activities (Kaur et al., 2023;Maddens et al., 2021). Developing research skills is essential to strengthen understanding of biological concepts and produce quality research (Kang et al., 2022;Kwangmuang et al., 2021). ...
... In addition, teachers can train students' research skills by implementing various teaching strategies, one of which is project-based learning, which requires students to explore, assess, interpret, synthesize, and provide information to produce various learning outcomes. (Kaur et al., 2023;Salybekova et al., 2021). Another study focused on the influence of project-based learning on graduate students' research proposal writing skills, showing significant improvements in scientific research skills (Breman et al., 2021;Khalaf & Alshammari, 2023). ...
Article
Full-text available
This research was motivated by the low level of research skills among students. At the same time, this skill is one of the competencies needed for academic and career success. This study aims to empower students' research skills using bioinformatics data-based modules, especially on Phanerogamae diversity. This study used mixed methods with an exploratory sequential design. The subjects involved in this study were 101 biology education students. Data was collected through interviews, document analysis, open-ended questions, and questionnaires. Data analysis used descriptive, paired sample T-test and N-Gain score. The results showed that the module proved feasible to use in lectures based on the assessment by material experts, media experts, and course practitioner lecturers. The developed module proved effective in empowering students' research skills with a significant difference between pre-test and post-test scores, and student responses to the module were positive. This study implies that the developed module can be an innovative teaching material in lectures to attract student interest in learning and accommodate research skills training.
... Unlike standardized assessments, PBL encourages independent inquiry and personalized contributions, resulting in a broader range of outcomes [6]. Despite this variability, the overall gains highlight PBL's strength in fostering critical thinking and student autonomykey attributes for future medical professionals and researchers [12,19,20]. Unlike studies that raised concerns about the variability of PBL effectiveness across different student groups [21], our findings indicate that structured mentorship and a welldesigned PBL framework can ensure consistent academic benefits. ...
Article
Full-text available
Background and Aims Traditional teaching methods in medical education often fail to engage students or foster critical research skills required for evidence‐based medicine. Project‐based learning (PBL) is widely recognized for promoting active learning and improving academic performance, although its application in research‐focused medical courses remains underexplored, especially in low‐resource settings. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of PBL in enhancing academic performance and originality compared to traditional literature review‐based assessments. Methods A quasi‐experimental study was conducted between March 11, 2024 and May 31, 2024, with 179 twelfth‐semester medical students divided into two groups: the experimental group (PBL approach, n = 108) and the control group (literature review‐based approach, n = 71). Students in the PBL group completed the full research cycle, including topic selection, data collection, analysis, research paper formulation, while the control group focused on synthesizing existing literature. Academic performance (course grades) and originality (Turnitin similarity percentage) were measured. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent samples t‐tests, with a significance threshold of p < 0.01. Results The PBL group demonstrated significantly higher academic performance (mean: 82.5, median: 85) compared to the control group (mean: 66.5, median: 63.75; t(177) = −20.53, p < 0.01). Similarly, originality improved significantly in the PBL group, with lower similarity scores (mean: 4.17%, median: 4.5%) than the control group (mean: 12.62%, median: 13%, t(177) = 13.74, p < 0.01). Variability in academic performance was slightly higher in the PBL group (standard deviation: 5.80 vs. 4.81), reflecting the individualized nature of PBL. Conclusion This study confirms that PBL significantly enhances academic performance and fosters originality among medical students, particularly in research‐focused courses. The findings underscore the potential of PBL as a transformative approach to medical education, addressing gaps in traditional methods while aligning with global trends in evidence‐based practice and academic integrity. PBL is recommended as an adaptable and effective strategy, especially in resource‐limited educational settings.
... The need to develop research skills was recognized at the universities in developed countries, therefore research courses and projects are integral parts of the curriculum (2). These programs offer structured research activities with support systems, along with extracurricular research opportunities (3,4). Active measures are being taken to incentivize medical graduates to pursue these roles at clinical-academic career paths (5,6) Unfortunately, research is not highly prioritized in developing countries, and its importance is not sufficiently emphasized (7). ...
Article
Full-text available
Aim The position of science and scientific research in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is unfavourable. University education lacks research programs, hindering students from developing critical evaluation skills. Methods This cross-sectional study examined knowledge, attitudes, experience and perceived barriers towards scientific research among biomedical students and recent graduates at the University of Sarajevo in B&H. A self-reporting questionnaire was distributed via social networks and among students from all years of the Medical, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical faculties, the Faculty of Health Sciences, and the Faculty of Science, as well as recent graduates. Results The survey was completed by 243 participants. The mean knowledge score of 4.3/11 was noticed; 216 (96%) believed research was necessary for healthcare improvement. Although 147 participants (65.3%) attended courses on research methodology, only 63 (28%) engaged in scientific research at their faculties. Only 5 (8.5%) employed graduates participated in research at their jobs. Almost half, 99 (44%) participants consulted scientific papers only upon recommendation. The majority of participants, 199 (82.2%), reported they experienced barriers to conducting research in B&H. Conclusion Biomedical students and graduates demonstrated limited research knowledge, but had positive attitudes and acknowledged significant barriers. Improved faculty curricula in research areas and more opportunities are needed.
Article
A curriculum is a structured plan of learning experiences, subjects, and assessments designed to guide education. It includes content, teaching methods, and learning objectives to ensure systematic knowledge and skill development. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of Grade 7 teachers in handling MATATAG subjects in the school year 2024 -2025 as a basis for a teacher support plan. A descriptive research design was employed, with a sample of 38 Grade 7 teachers through complete enumeration sampling. Data were analyzed using a weighted mean to measure the level of agreement among teachers as curriculum implementers. The findings revealed an average weighted mean of 3.41 and standard deviation of 0.56, in terms of productivity interpreted as the teacher's perception of implementing the MATATAG curriculum, “Strongly Agree" that the teachers on average do feel that they are effective in their functions. In terms of well–being, the teacher's perception of implementing the MATATAG curriculum with an average weighted mean and standard deviation of 3.22 and 0.57 respectively, is interpreted as the work environment and culture within schools significantly influence the teacher’s well-being. The findings indicate that teachers are capable of adopting and fully implementing educational reforms. However, differences in support, workload, and time availability highlight the necessity of targeted interventions to ensure fair distribution of responsibilities and adequate support, empowering teachers as key agents in the evolving educational landscape. Finally, personalized support should be provided to teachers who need extra help, using data to track performance and address specific challenges. This plan ensures that teachers have the necessary resources, time, and support to implement the curriculum effectively while maintaining their well-being.
Article
Full-text available
Objetivo: Analisar a percepção de estudantes e médicos sobre sua participação em um projeto de pesquisa sobre aleitamento materno em um hospital Amigo da Criança. Método: Estudo transversal e descritivo com 37 estudantes e nove médicos. A coleta de dados ocorreu entre janeiro e fevereiro de 2023 por questionário online, com questões fechadas sobre identificação dos participantes e abertas sobre sua percepção quanto ao projeto e suas repercussões. Para análise dos dados utilizou-se estatística descritiva. Resultados: A mediana do tempo de participação no projeto foi 12 meses. Do total de participantes, 13 (28,3%) realizaram entrevistas no alojamento conjunto, 25 (54,3%) realizaram entrevistas presenciais e à distância e oito (17,4%) realizaram o acompanhamento apenas à distância. Ademais, nove (19,6%) exerceram funções de coordenação discente e 15 (32,6%) envolveram-se em iniciação científica. Os benefícios relatados incluíram contato com as mães e com a prática clínica, aprimoramento das habilidades de comunicação, expansão dos conhecimentos sobre aleitamento e puerpério, contato com pesquisa e iniciação científica, aprendizagem sobre estrutura da maternidade e do Sistema Único de Saúde e aprendizagem sobre trabalho multidisciplinar e em equipe. A limitação mais citada foi a dificuldade de contato com as mães para realizar as entrevistas de seguimento. Conclusão: A participação no projeto resultou em aprimoramento de habilidades de comunicação e prática clínica, bem como conhecimentos em aleitamento materno, puerpério, sistemas de saúde e desenvolvimento de pesquisa científica, valorizando a prática clínica. As limitações mais frequentes estavam relacionadas ao contato com as mães e ao manejo do tempo.
Article
Full-text available
Purpose of the study: Graduate profiles that do not match the needs of the world of work in a community environment based on local culture are one of the problems for prospective teachers. This research aims to analyze local culture-based community responses regarding the development of prospective teachers' skills. Methodology: This research used a mixed-method approach with primary data from questionnaires and secondary data from observations, interviews, and documentation. Main Findings: This study revealed that out of a sample of 100 students, 83.33% responded positively to the implementation of status changes. Additionally, 65% of the community acknowledged that the status change would lead to a greater variety of academic programs. Meanwhile, 9% of the community believed that this change would contribute to improved welfare, and 75.5% recognized its overall benefits. Insights from stakeholder interviews led to the recommendation of five study programs, while surveys of 11th and 12th-grade prospective students identified ten preferred study programs. Novelty/Originality of this study: The novelty of this research lies in its integration of local cultural perspectives into the needs analysis for developing study programs in Islamic universities. Unlike conventional needs assessments that focus solely on market demands, this study uniquely examines how cultural values and community expectations shape the required competencies of prospective teachers.
Article
Research skills are essential in fostering a well-informed society. This study aimed to assess the research competency of Grade 12 students in the Academic Track. A descriptive research design was employed, with a sample of 219 students selected through random sampling from four academic strands. Data were analyzed using weighted mean to measure the personal’s mastery level of quantitative research competencies and percentage in identifying the ratio of the gender of the total respondents. The findings revealed an average weighted mean of 3.18, interpreted as "developing," indicating that students are gradually improving their academic writing, analytical competency, and investigative proficiency. However, their research skills remain in the early stages of growth, suggesting the need for continuous development to further enhance students' research skills, equipping them for future academic and professional endeavors. Enhancing these skills will not only help them succeed in their academic pursuits but also prepare them for future professional and personal challenges. Strong research skills enable students to think critically, make informed decisions, and contribute meaningfully to their fields of study.
Article
Research skills are required in studying environmental science because many environmental problems require analytical skills to find effective solutions. However, students’ research skills remain insufficient and need to be strengthened. This study investigates whether the research team-based learning (RTBL) model effectively develops students’ research skills in environmental science courses. This study used a sequential explanatory mixed method approach. A total of 119 students taking environmental science courses spread across 3 experimental classes, namely RTBL, research-based learning (RBL), and team-based learning (TBL) were included in this study. The research data were gathered using research skill questionnaires, research reports, and semi-structured interviews. This study’s findings show that the RTBL model is superior compared to the RBL and TBL models in strengthening students’ research skills in environmental science courses. The RTBL model can be utilized as an alternative effective learning model that assists students improve their research skills in environmental science courses.
Article
Full-text available
Se realizó un análisis de las competencias investigativas en el ámbito de la enseñanza del inglés en una universidad privada. Se implementó un estudio en tres etapas, siguiendo los siguientes objetivos específicos: 1) describir los indicadores de competencias investigativas en los planes de estudio mediante un análisis de contenido, 2) comprender la percepción de los estudiantes sobre la importancia de la investigación y sus habilidades investigativas, y 3) determinar la autopercepción y el compromiso de los docentes en el desarrollo de competencias investigativas. En la primera etapa se realizó un análisis de contenido de enfoque cualitativo. En las segunda y tercera fase, se utilizó un estudio no experimental de tipo transversal y descriptivo de carácter cuantitativo. El muestreo siguió una técnica no probabilística. Los resultados revelaron esfuerzos aislados para fomentar el desarrollo de competencias en los programas, siendo la presencia de indicadores más fuerte en el nivel de Licenciatura. Tanto los estudiantes como los docentes reconocen la importancia de la investigación y consideran que sus competencias investigativas son bastante elevadas. Sin embargo, los hallazgos evidencian que los profesores no se involucran en procesos investigativos y en ambas poblaciones se identificaron diversas deficiencias en aspectos metodológicos, como la determinación del problema, el análisis de resultados y la difusión de hallazgos.
Article
Full-text available
Background: Medical student journals (MSJs) help to introduce the fundamentals of academic research and publication to future doctors. It has recently been shown that MSJs can influence doctors' future academic and professional success, however these findings have not been replicated in an Australian cohort. The aim of this study was to examine the association between publication in the Australian Medical Student Journal (AMSJ) and markers of a student's future academic trajectory, including future publication, attainment of higher academic degree or entry into specialist training. Methods: Articles authored by medical students in the AMSJ from 2010 to 2015 were retrospectively identified. A list of these student authors was made, with university- and year- matched control students randomly selected from university graduation databases. For all students, data related to academic success were obtained from multiple sources including PubMed®, Google, university databases and author affiliation information from publications. A multivariable conditional logistic regression model was used to assess correlation between variables. The primary outcome measure was the number of postgraduate PubMed®-indexed publications. Secondary outcome measures included attainment of higher degree or faculty position. Clinical speciality was also recorded. Results: Fifty-five AMSJ authors (14 case reports, 17 original research, 21 review articles) from 14 Australian universities were included. Publication in the AMSJ was associated with future PubMed® indexed publications (OR 3.43, 95% CI 1.74-6.77, P < 0.001) and higher degree attainment (OR 4.05, 95% CI 1.99-8.22, P = 0.0001). AMSJ authors were also significantly more likely to enter into surgical training (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.10-5.84, P = 0.029). A multivariable conditional logistic regression model demonstrated that publication in the AMSJ was predictive of future PubMed indexed publication, independent of higher degree or faculty position attainment (OR 2.56, CI 1.22-5.39, P = 0.01). Conclusion: We have shown that publication in a MSJ is associated with markers of academic success in an Australian cohort. PubMed®-indexed publications, attainment of a Masters degree, and entry in to surgical training were all significantly correlated to AMSJ publication. A conditional logistic regression model demonstrated that medical student publication in the AMSJ influences the number of future PubMed®-indexed publications, independent of major academic confounding variables.
Article
Full-text available
Abstract Background Medical degree programs use scholarly activities to support development of basic research skills, critical evaluation of medical information and promotion of medical research. The University of Sydney Doctor of Medicine Program includes a compulsory research project. Medical student projects are supervised by academic staff and affiliates, including biomedical science researchers and clinician-academics. This study investigated research supervisors’ observations of the barriers to and enablers of successful medical student research projects. Methods Research supervisors (n = 130) completed an anonymous, online survey after the completion of the research project. Survey questions targeted the research supervisors’ perceptions of barriers to successful completion of projects and sources of support for their supervision of the student project. Data were analysed by descriptive statistics and using manifest content analysis. Further quantitative investigation was made by cross-tabulation according to prior research supervision experience. Results Research supervisors reported that students needed both generic skills (75%) and research-based skills (71%) to successfully complete the project. The major barrier to successful research projects was the lack of protected time for research activities (61%). The assessment schedule with compulsory progress milestones enabled project completion (75%), and improved scientific presentation (90%) and writing (93%) skills. Supervisors requested further support for their students for statistics (75%), scientific writing (51%), and funding for projects (52%). Prior research supervision experience influenced the responses. Compared to novice supervisors, highly experienced supervisors were significantly more likely to want students to be allocated dedicated time for the project (P
Article
Full-text available
IntroductionScholarly concentration programs have become a common method to promote student inquiry and independent research in medical schools. Given the high resource requirements of scholarly concentration program implementation, it is important to examine program efficacy. This systematic review examined the impact of scholarly concentration programs on student research productivity. Methods The authors carried out a literature search to find articles related to scholarly concentration program research productivity outcomes. The inclusion criterion was a method of rigorously evaluating program scholarly productivity. Study rigour was evaluated with the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument. ResultsThe initial search disclosed 2467 unique records: 78 were considered based on titles and abstracts; eight were considered by scanning references. Eleven papers met the inclusion criteria: all were descriptive; none had a priori hypotheses that examined predictors of medical student research productivity in scholarly concentration programs or prospectively evaluated program impact on student scholarly output. DiscussionWhile few in number and often lacking in rigour, the studies included herein suggest that adequate administrative support, strong mentorship and tailored program characteristics are essential in facilitating student research productivity in scholarly concentration programs. Given the challenges inherent in medical education research, a conceptual framework based on United Way’s approach may help program planners and educators address this gap in the evaluation of scholarly concentration programs.
Article
Full-text available
Background Many national outcome frameworks (OF) call for a sound scholarship education and scholarly behaviour of physicians. Educators however are known to interpret the scholar role in markedly different ways and at least one major initiative to unify several national outcome frameworks failed to agree on a common definition of the scholar role. Both circumstances currently limit the development of educational and assessment strategies specific for the scholar role. Given increasing physician mobility together with the global perspective inherent in a doctor’s role as a scholar, we were interested in what different OFs define as the scholar role and attempted to identify communalities and differences between them. Methods We conducted a systematic review for OF in medical education in PubMed and google. After in- and exclusion processes, we extracted all content listed under the scholar role (if present) and categorized it based on Boyer’s established model of scholarship. Next, we extracted all content related to scholarship from OFs not explicitly defining a scholar role and used it to validate the categories resulting from step one. ResultsFrom 1816 search results, we identified 13 eligible OFs, seven of which explicitly specified a scholar role. The outcomes only partly map onto Boyer’s definition of scholarship: Discovery, Integration, Application, and Teaching. We adapted and validated a model extending this definition to contain Common Basics (partly overlapping with Integration and Teaching), Clinical Application (specifying Application), Research (Discovery and partly Integration), Teaching and Education (partly overlapping with Teaching) and Lifelong Learning (no equivalent in Boyer’s model). Whereas almost all OFs cover Common Basics, Clinical Application, and Lifelong Learning, fewer and less specific outcomes relate to Research or Teaching. Conclusions The need to adapt existing models of scholarship may result from the changing demands directed at medical scholars. The considerable differences identified between OFs may explain why educators have difficulties defining the scholar role and why the role is rarely assessed. We may have missed OFs due to our in- and exclusion criteria but the results provide a solid basis on which to build a common understanding of what makes a doctor a scholar.
Article
Full-text available
Despite the rapidly declining number of physician-investigators, there is no consistent structure within medical education so far for involving medical students in research. To conduct an integrated mixed-methods systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies about medical students' participation in research, and to evaluate the evidence in order to guide policy decision-making regarding this issue. We followed the PRISMA statement guidelines during the preparation of this review and meta-analysis. We searched various databases as well as the bibliographies of the included studies between March 2012 and September 2013. We identified all relevant quantitative and qualitative studies assessing the effect of medical student participation in research, without restrictions regarding study design or publication date. Prespecified outcome-specific quality criteria were used to judge the admission of each quantitative outcome into the meta-analysis. Initial screening of titles and abstracts resulted in the retrieval of 256 articles for full-text assessment. Eventually, 79 articles were included in our study, including eight qualitative studies. An integrated approach was used to combine quantitative and qualitative studies into a single synthesis. Once all included studies were identified, a data-driven thematic analysis was performed. Medical student participation in research is associated with improved short- and long- term scientific productivity, more informed career choices and improved knowledge about-, interest in- and attitudes towards research. Financial worries, gender, having a higher degree (MSc or PhD) before matriculation and perceived competitiveness of the residency of choice are among the factors that affect the engagement of medical students in research and/or their scientific productivity. Intercalated BSc degrees, mandatory graduation theses and curricular research components may help in standardizing research education during medical school.
Article
Full-text available
It is widely accepted that all medical graduates should understand the uses and methods of rigorous research, with a need to promote research to graduates who will pursue an academic career. This study aimed to explore, identify and explain what motivates and demotivates medical students to do research. A convergent parallel mixed methods study was conducted. Cross-sectional quantitative survey data (n = 579) and qualitative semi-structured interview findings (n = 23) data were separately collected and analysed. Informed by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), quantitative and qualitative findings were integrated to develop a model for the factors associated with medical students' expressed motivation to do research, and related to clinical and research learning activities at different stages in an undergraduate medical program. Only 7.5 % of students had research experience prior to entering the program. Survey results revealed that students who had experienced exposure to the uncertainties of clinical practice through clerkships (Pre-Clinical (48 %) vs Clinical Years (64 %), p < 0.001), and a sense of achievement through supported compulsory research activities, which were conducted as a team (Pre- Community Research (51 %) vs Post-Community Research (66 %), p < 0.001) were more likely to view future research activities positively. When integrated with qualitative findings using the three SDT domains of autonomy, competence and relatedness, eight major themes were identified: Self & Time, Career, Bureaucracy, Financial, Confidence, Clinical Relevance, Research as a Social Activity, and Personal Relevance. The findings suggest that motivation to do research is associated with increasing internalization of intrinsic motivators; in particular those associated with competence (Confidence) and relatedness (Clinical Relevance, Research as a Social Activity). SDT is useful for understanding the motivation of individuals and how curriculum can be designed to optimise motivation. Study findings suggest that well supported compulsory research activities that incorporate group learning and elements of choice, may promote motivation to do research, and potentially, careers in research, even in a research naive student body.
Article
Full-text available
Medical educators attempt to create reliable and valid tests and questionnaires in order to enhance the accuracy of their assessment and evaluations. Validity and reliability are two fundamental elements in the evaluation of a measurement instrument. Instruments can be conventional knowledge, skill or attitude tests, clinical simulations or survey questionnaires. Instruments can measure concepts, psychomotor skills or affective values. Validity is concerned with the extent to which an instrument measures what it is intended to measure. Reliability is concerned with the ability of an instrument to measure consistently.1 It should be noted that the reliability of an instrument is closely associated with its validity. An instrument cannot be valid unless it is reliable. However, the reliability of an instrument does not depend on its validity.2 It is possible to objectively measure the reliability of an instrument and in this paper we explain the meaning of Cronbach’s alpha, the most widely used objective measure of reliability.
Article
Context A decline in the number of physician-scientists has been identified in the United States for at least two decades. Although many mechanisms have been proposed to reverse this trend, most of these have concentrated on MD/PhD programs, research in subspecialty fellowships, and other approaches later in physician training. Few have emphasized early medical student research experiences as a contributing solution. Objective To determine the effect of a medical student research experience on career choices and attitudes about biomedical research. Design, Setting, and Participants We jointly report 25 years of experience with National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored Medical Student Research Fellowship programs (MSRFs) at two colleges of medicine, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Vanderbilt University. In both programs, students work during the summer of their first or second year of medical school on a research project that is mentored by an established scientist and participate in a structured program (lectures, visiting professor). Main Outcome Measures We gathered data using pre- and postresearch fellowship questionnaires to assess (a) quality of research experiences; (b) tabulation of productivity, that is, presentations, abstracts, publications, and awards; (c) long-term tracking of former program participants; (d) comparison of residency placements by medical student researchers; and (e) comments from former program participants on the effects of their students’ research experiences on career choices. Results During this time, approximately 1,000 medical students participated in the two programs. Follow-up data (for short-term evaluations, 96–132 respondents with a response rate > 82%; for long-term evaluations, 88–118 respondents with a response rate > 29–33%) strongly suggest (a) interest in an academic career increased, (b) one-third to half of former student respondents considered themselves to be in academic medicine, (c) the vast majority of students conducted additional research after their medical student research experience, and (d) a large number of students were currently doing research or had published or presented their work at scientific meetings. Conclusions Over two decades of experience with NIH-sponsored medical student research programs at two medical schools strongly support the ability of these programs to interest medical students in research and academic careers. MSRFs should be included in strategies to reverse the decline in the number of physician-scientists.
Article
Context: Scholarly experiences have been increasingly employed to support the development of scholarly skills for medical students. How the characteristics of the various scholarly experiences contributes to scholarly outcomes or the complexities of how the experiences build skills, warrants further exploration. Objective: To identify how medical students' scholarly experiences lead to scholarly outcomes under what circumstances. Method: A realist review was conducted with a search of Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus and ERIC databases using the terms "medical student" and "scholarly experience" and related synonyms. Studies involving the engagement of medical students in a range of compulsory scholarly experiences including quality improvement projects, literature reviews, and research projects were included. Key data were extracted from studies and realist analysis was used to identify how contexts and mechanisms led to different outcomes. Results: From an initial 4590 titles, 28 studies of 22 scholarly experiences were identified. All were primarily focused on research-related scholarly experiences. Organisational research culture that valued research, dedicated time, autonomy and choice of experience were found to be key contexts. Adequately supported and structured experiences where students can see the value of research, and quality supervision that builds student's self-efficacy were identified as mechanisms leading to outcomes. Outcomes included increased research skills and attitudes, scholarly outputs (e.g. publications) and future interest in research or other scholarly endeavours. Conclusions: The design of scholarly experiences for medical students needs to ensure protected time, adequate supervision and autonomy, to achieve scholarly outcomes. Much of the focus is on research and traditional outcomes with little known about the role or outcomes associated with other scholarly work.
Article
Background: There is a global concern that physician-researchers are “a dying breed.” Recent studies of clinical career choices of Australian medical students and doctors have signalled the rising age of medical graduates, generational shifts in work-life attitudes, and increased proportion of female graduates. There are scant data regarding Australian physician-researchers. Aims: To develop and utilise a questionnaire determining respondent characteristics and ‘push and pull’ factors for medical graduates to incorporate research into their careers. Methods: We developed and administered an 88-item online survey, including quantitative and qualitative questions, to medical students, faculty and alumni of Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, asking about their medical career, research experience and interest and reasons for doing or not doing medical research. Responses to all 74 quantitative questions are reported herein. Results: Data from 427 respondents (44% female; mean±SD age 38±13 years; 56% completed or undertaking a PhD) were analysed. Attractions of research included a desire to improve human health, intellectual stimulation and career diversity. Barriers related to low funding rates, job insecurity and low salaries. Although few were prepared to undertake or recommend full-time research, 71% would recommend part-time research. Respondents perceived a smaller than actual gap between clinical and research salaries, and if comparable (75-100% of a clinician’s) salaries were available, 89% would like to spend 21-60% work-time undertaking research. Conclusion: Many Australian medical students and doctors are interested in research, especially part-time. Perceived obstacles include job insecurity, low funding rates and salary. Respondents underestimated clinical and research salary differences.