Perceptions and Experiences of Pursuing Research Among Medical Students in Problem-Based Learning Curriculum: A Cross-Sectional Study from Qatar

Abstract

Objectives: Early introduction to research prepares medical students for the practice of evidence-based medicine. Few studies have examined the experiences of research among medical students in the Arab region. This study assesses medical students' experiences in pursuing research at the national College of Medicine (CMED) in the state of Qatar.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire distributed through Google Forms. The inclusion criteria called for students over 18 years old enrolled in the college in Years 2 to 6 (pre-clinical and clinical phases) during the spring semester of 2022. The questionnaire included 5 sections with multiple-choice questions and 5-point Likert-scale questions. The questionnaire was validated using esperts review and by piloting it on 10% of the eligible students. STATA 17.0 was used to perform the statistical analysis, which involved a logistic regression and Mann-Whitney U test.

Results: The study had 179 student participants (over half of the eligible group). Half were in the preclinical phase, and half were in the clinical phase. Approximately half had published at least 1 paper. For voluntary research, the main motivators were passion and positive past experiences, while the main demoralizer was inadequate time. For mandatory medical-student research, supervisor help was the main facilitator, and an academic load leaving insufficient time for research was the main barrier. The factors positively influencing voluntary research participation were being older, being male, studying in a more advanced program phase, and having a lower score for negative attitudes toward research. The main limitation of the study was the inclusion of only 1 medical school with 1 type of curriculum.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that better research experience can be ensured by providing space, time, and proper academic and moral support to students. The authors believe that doing so will indirectly positively affect the future translation of skills in evidence-based medicine into clinical practice.

Keywords: medical education; motivators; problem-based learning curriculum; pursuing research; undergraduate.

Figure 1.

(a) Motivating factors for future voluntary research. The most motivating factor for both preclinical (phase 2) and clinical phases (phase 3), is passion for doing research, followed by availability of opportunities for phase 2 and positive past experiences for phase 3 students. (b) Demoralizing factors influencing future voluntary research. The strongest demoralizing factor for both phases is lack of time, and the weakest is lack of interest in pursuing research. Note: Because these were multianswer questions, the proportions do not add up to 100%.

Figure 2.

(a) Barriers to medical student research (MSR) publication. The most frequently reported barriers to publish MSR outcomes were factors related to the process of publication (45%), followed by rejection by several journals (24.6%). (b) Facilitators of MSR publication. Note: Since these were multianswer questions, the proportions do not add up to 100%.

Figure 3.

(a) Barriers to conducting the medical student research (MSR) project. Because of the multianswer question format, the proportions do not add up to 100%. The most commonly reported challenges were academic load and lack of time (66.7% among those who had published their MSR and 85.2% among those who had not); lack of data availability (3.3% and 59.3%, respectively); and lack of help from the supervisor (29.2% and 38.3%, respectively. (b) Facilitators in conducting the MSR project. Because of the multianswer question format, the proportions do not add up to 100%. The most frequently reported facilitators were help from the supervisor (54.2% among those who had published their MSR and 43.2% among those who had not); robust engagement from collaborators (50% and 32.1%, respectively); and having a knowledgeable supervisor (50% and 49.4%, respectively).

Figure 4.

Perceptions of voluntary research experience based on students’ phase of study. Being a student in Phase 3 was associated with significantly higher median scores for positive attitudes towards research, relevance to life, and facilitators of research in the college.

Figure 5.

Reasons for lack of motivation to pursue future research. The strongest reason for lacking motivation was found to be prioritizing their academic studies over conducting research, followed by a lack of familiarity with available opportunities, and the least reported reason was they tried to join research projects but were not welcomed.

Figure 6.

Medical student research (MSR) experience based on students’ gender. female students had a more favorable perception of MSR than did male students. The association between female gender and more favorable MSR perception is statistically significant, as indicated by the p-values computed via a Mann–Whitney U-test.