Study of the Factors that Influence the Completion of the Thesis of Master of Health Professions Education Graduates: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the experience of timely thesis completion by the graduates of the Master of Health Professions Education (MHPE) program in Pakistan.Study Design: Qualitative interpretative study design.Settings: Riphah University Islamabad and HITEC-IMS Taxila.Duration: May 2018 to June 2019.Materials and Methods: Data was collected by semi-structured interviews. All interviews were carried out in person. Detailed notes were taken, and conversations were audio-recorded. Three authors analyzed data independently using iterative thematic analysis. Inconsistencies were resolved through discussion.Results: Two major themes out of five were identified: Intrinsic attributes of the graduates and the role of the supervisor. including sub-themes of intrinsic motivation, self-regulation, age of the participant, supervisor-trainee relationship, supervisor’s availability, supervisor’s commitment, personality traits of the supervisor. Periods of face-to-face contact sessions were considered to increase internal motivation during which participants believe to have greater self-regulation. Positive relationship with a committed supervisor who was readily available and had a friendly, yet professional attitude aided in the completion of the thesis on time while a supervisor lacking these traits posed challenges for the graduates.Conclusion: Several factors were identified which influenced thesis completion among the graduates of MHPE in Pakistan. The five major ones consisted of the following, 1) Research Project-Related Problems; 2) Support System; 3) Supervisor Guidance; 4) Attributes of the Researcher; 5) Conducive Research Environment. These results can help influence policies to evaluate and improve this program.

Characteristics and motivational factors of candidates applying to the Master in Health Professions Education (MHPE) program

“…Intrinsic motivation has been reported as one of the most important factors in MHPE graduates for completing their thesis. 20 Without the right impetus, even after securing admission to an MHPE program, students joining the program as a last choice or applying because they considered it to be an easier program compared to others, may find it difficult to fulfill the necessary academic requirements for successful graduation or have the motivation to improve health science education. The findings showed that the factors that the authors of this study, as medical educationists, expected to be the most important for applicants in selecting the MHPE program turned out to be less significant than anticipated.…”

Prediction of Research Project Execution using Data Augmentation and Deep Learning

“…Most of the related work to this topic are focused on determining the factors that influence research project completion and non-completion, thus the works [11], [12] and [13] identified different factors such as motivation, ability to write scientific papers, guidance quality, commitment, diligence, communication skills, research experience among others.…”