Perceived influential factors toward participation in undergraduate research activities among medical students at Alfaisal University—College of Medicine: A Saudi Arabian perspective

Abstract

Students demonstrated positive attitudes toward UR activities. The relationships between participation in UR activities and male gender, increased number of years spent at medical college and higher GPA were directly proportional.

Contemporary global perspectives of medical students on research during undergraduate medical education: a systematic literature review

“…Others were lack of mentors, lack of interest in research, lack of finding same-gender research mentor, and lack of opportunities.Kumar, 2009 [40]India471 medical studentsAwareness, perceptions and practices-Questionnaire-based qualitative study−70% were aware about research although the level of awareness varied.-Various skills of conducting research were known to 47% of the students.-76% were part of a research team mainly as a part of the medical curriculum.-8.3% were confident of research as a career option.Mahmood, 2017 [4]Pakistan294 medical students-Current research practices.-Future intentions.-Related motivations, barriers, and sought-after interventions-Self-administered questionnaire-Intentions to pursue research at a professional level remained low (19.7%).-Intentions decreased each passing year of study.-Most commonly expressed motivation for pursuing research was “admission into a residency program” (71.8%).-Such intention was associated with a decreased likelihood of pursing research professionally.-Barriers: Lack of time (72.4%), lack of supervisors (50.3%), lack of opportunity (48.3%).Meraj, 2016 [34]Pakistan172 medical studentsPerceptions and attitudes-Cross-sectional questionnaire−45.3% were aware of research opportunities.-65.7% thought research was important to future career and relevant to their lives-41.9% not interested in research as a career.-41.3% students enjoyed research-70% perceived research as stressful and 62.2% complexMina et al, 2016 [32]Saudi Arabia218/350 medical studentsPerception and participation-Online survey-Top three influential factors: Facilitate entry into competitive residency programs (88.1%), improve curriculum vitae (81.2%), and publish in peer-reviewed journals (79.8%).-Participation in research significantly differed by gender, academic year, and GPA.Moraes, 2016 [27]Brazil278 medical students from first to sixth year.Interest in research-Cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire−81.7% were interested in research.-Only 4.7% of the students thought research is important.-No statistically significant association with age, gender, number of physicians in their family, prior college courses were found.Nel et al, 2013 [30]South Africa733 medical studentsAttitudes…”

“…However, motivations behind this interest varied from context to context across countries. For example, some students were interested in research to be competitive for residency [4,31,32], enhance curriculum vitae or resumés [32,33], and for some international medical students to gain admission into U.S. residency programs [33]. Nonetheless, the expressed interest in research did not translate into many more medical students thinking of becoming physician-scientists.…”

Perceptions of preclinical medical students towards extracurricular activities

“…The available limited literature on the topic primarily focused on the relationship between research-related EAs and academic performance. 1 , 10 , 11 Despite students being the main stakeholders impacted by EAs, little is known about their perceptions (in terms of motives and barriers) towards participation in EAs and the relationship to academic performance. In Saudi Arabia, no such study has been conducted so far.…”

Research Training Program in a Turkish Medical School: Challenges, Barriers and Opportunities from the Perspectives of the Students and Faculty Members

“…Moreover, unlike many countries (3,(5)(6)17), completing the RTP does not give an advantage in competition for the specialty education or even creates a disadvantage in terms of time spent for exam preparation. Lack of institutional incentives such as obtaining a valid certi cate or a title upon completion discourages also the students from conducting research (11,44). What should be done here is to support students who come to the point of quitting RTP not because of lack of external motivation but because they do not receive enough mentoring or nancial support.…”