Center for Innovation in Medical Education, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Department of Higher Education, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Perspect Med Educ. 2018 Aug;7(4):248-255. doi: 10.1007/s40037-018-0440-y.
The medical field is currently facing a physician-scientist shortage. One possible solution is to direct medical students towards a research oriented career. To do so, knowledge is needed on how to motivate medical students to do research. Therefore, this study examines motivation for research and identifies factors influencing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for research among first-year medical students.
First-year medical students were surveyed at the beginning of their bachelor's program in 2016. On a 7-point Likert scale, students reported their motivation for research, self-efficacy, perceptions of research, curiosity, and need for challenge. Regression analyses were used to examine the influence of these factors on students' motivation for research.
Out of 316 approached students, 315 participated (99.7%). On average, students scored 5.49 on intrinsic, and 5.66 on extrinsic motivation for research. All factors measured influenced intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for research significantly and positively, also after adjusting for gender and age. Cumulative regression showed that these factors explained 39.6% of the variance in intrinsic, and 14% in extrinsic motivation for research.
All factors play an important role in intrinsic and, to a lesser extent, extrinsic motivation for research. First-year medical students' motivation for research could be enhanced by stimulating positive self-efficacy beliefs, positive perceptions of research, and curiosity. Also, it is important to fulfil students' needs for challenge by stimulating them to actively conduct research. Thus, to catch students young and cultivate physician-scientists, students should be stimulated to engage in research from the beginning of medical training.
目前，医学领域面临着医师科学家短缺的问题。一个可能的解决方案是引导医学生从事研究型职业。为此，需要了解如何激励医学生从事研究。因此，本研究考察了医学生从事研究的动机，并确定了影响医学生从事研究的内在和外在动机的因素。
在 2016 年，我们对一年级医学生在本科课程开始时进行了调查。学生们在 7 点李克特量表上报告了他们从事研究的动机、自我效能感、对研究的看法、好奇心和对挑战的需求。回归分析用于检验这些因素对学生从事研究的动机的影响。
在 316 名被接触的学生中，有 315 名（99.7%）参与了调查。平均而言，学生在内在动机和外在动机上的得分分别为 5.49 和 5.66。所有测量的因素都显著且积极地影响内在和外在动机，即使在调整了性别和年龄后也是如此。累积回归显示，这些因素解释了内在动机的 39.6%和外在动机的 14%的方差。
所有因素在内在动机和外在动机中都起着重要作用，尽管程度较小。通过激发积极的自我效能感、对研究的积极看法和好奇心，可以提高一年级医学生从事研究的动机。此外，通过激发学生积极进行研究来满足他们对挑战的需求也很重要。因此，为了尽早抓住学生并培养医师科学家，应该从医学培训开始就激励学生从事研究。
