Self-perception of the acquisition of transferable competencies by the participants in a research congress for undergraduate students: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Context: Several curricular initiatives have been developed to improve the acquisition of research competencies by Health Science students.

Objectives: To know how students self-perceived of whether their participation in the XIV National Research Congress for Undergraduate Students of Health Sciences had helped them in the acquisition of 36 research-related transferable competencies (TCs) common to Health Science degrees.

Methods: A survey design (Cronbach's alpha = 0.924), using a self-administered questionnaire, was conducted among undergraduate students who voluntarily participated in the Congress. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 25 and Statgraphics 19. Statistical significance was considered for P < 0.05.

Results: Eighty-one students from 12 Health Science degree programs responded. Key findings are presented in a structured manner, using a Likert-5 scale. Twenty-five of the competencies surveyed obtained an average ≥ 4 highlighting: "Critically evaluate and know how to use sources of clinical and biomedical information to obtain, organize, interpret, and communicate scientific and health information"; "To be able to formulate hypotheses, collect and critically evaluate information for problem solving, following the scientific method", "Critical analysis and research" and "Communicate effectively and clearly, orally and in writing with other professionals". Significance was found in 15 competencies. The development of the competencies "Teamwork", "Critical reasoning" and "Analysis and synthesis abilities" was considered to be of greater "personal utility" by the respondents.

Conclusion: Participation in this event contributed to the development of research-related TCs, critical analysis and information management and communication, especially in relation to learning the sources of clinical and biomedical information, to know, following the scientific method, how to formulate hypotheses that allow students to solve problems in their professional activity. The experience was significantly influenced by the respondents' year, the type of participation in the event and the gender of the students. Limitations and suggestions regarding future research are discussed to encourage further exploration of the topic.

Keywords: Critical thinking; Interprofessional education; Research competency; Transferable competencies; Undergraduate health science research.

Fig. 1

Students' perception regarding transversal competencies studied (see Supplementary data). Data measured by a Likert-type Scale (with a maximum of ‘5 points’). Data shown in mean values (bars) ± standard deviations (error bars). Asterisks mark significance (p-values ≤0.05) according to the three different sets of characteristic parameters considered for the analysis: “Respondent year” (*); “Participation” (†) and “Gender” (‡).

Fig. 2

Relationship between transferable competencies (see Supplementary data) and “Personal utility" according to students' perception. Data shown in frequency.