Abstract
BackgroundMedical students’ confidence in their ability to conduct research has been speculated to be a significant factor influencing the engagement of research, yet their confidence may remain low. Moreover, it is unclear what barriers exist to high engagement in research before graduation. Hence, the objective of this study was to investigate medical students’ attitudes, confidence, and perceived barriers regarding conducting research.MethodologyA cross-sectional study was conducted using quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate medical students’ attitudes, confidence, and perceived barriers regarding doing research. Quantitative data were collected from 141 first-year medical students via an online questionnaire in September 2020 asking about their perceptions toward participating in research while in school. Linear regression was performed to determine if certain perceptions and self-reported abilities would significantly contribute to research confidence. Additionally, focus groups were conducted with 30 students to assess student perceptions toward engaging in research. For qualitative data, an inductive thematic analysis was performed to allow for the patterns, themes, and categories to emerge.ResultsRegression modeling successfully explained 71% of the variance in predicting research confidence [F(3,137) = 116.91, p < 0.01] with an R2 of 0.719 (adjusted R2 = 0.713). Feeling secure in one’s research knowledge, greater belief in the ability to conduct research, and feeling research was important for their future career significantly contributed to greater research confidence. Five themes related to student attitudes and perceived barriers to conducting research in medical school emerged from the qualitative interviews.ConclusionsFindings from this study may help medical educators better understand which attitudes are prevalent among medical students that may influence their confidence and ultimately affect their engagement in research during preclinical training. Unblocking barriers to research engagement and incorporating curricular strategies to help students gain practical experience and confidence in their research abilities may be warranted.
Highlights
It has been widely understood that engaging in research activities during undergraduate medical training is associated with numerous research capabilities, including problem-solving skills, information retrieval skills, critical appraisal skills, and data collection skills [1,2,3,4]
Feeling secure in one’s research knowledge, greater belief in the ability to conduct research, and feeling research was important for their future career significantly contributed to greater research confidence
Five themes related to student attitudes and perceived barriers to conducting research in medical school emerged from the qualitative interviews
Summary
It has been widely understood that engaging in research activities during undergraduate medical training is associated with numerous research capabilities, including problem-solving skills, information retrieval skills, critical appraisal skills, and data collection skills [1,2,3,4]. Medical students’ confidence in their ability to conduct research has been speculated to be a significant factor influencing the successful engagement of research. Given the demands and competing interests of formulating an undergraduate medical curriculum and results of attitudes of learners during medical training, it appears pivotal to investigate factors that promote student research during the undergraduate years. How to cite this article Jacobs R J, Caballero J, Kane M N (January 03, 2022) Medical Students’ Confidence in Their Abilities and Barriers to Conducting Research: A Mixed-Methods Study. Medical students’ confidence in their ability to conduct research has been speculated to be a significant factor influencing the engagement of research, yet their confidence may remain low. The objective of this study was to investigate medical students’ attitudes, confidence, and perceived barriers regarding conducting research
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