Are medical students interested in research? – students’ attitudes towards research

Figures & data

Table 1. Characteristics of overall study population and responders from the 2nd and 5th year.

Factor	n (%)
	Overall	2nd-year students	5th-year students	p-Value
Gender
Male	230 (35.1%)	129 (36.5%)	101 (33.3%)	.412
Female	426 (64.9%)	224 (63.5%)	202 (66.7%)
High school location
Village	17 (2.6%)	11 (3.0%)	6 (2.0%)	.831
City < 50k inhabitants	127 (19.4%)	69 (19.1%)	58 (19.8%)
City < 100k inhabitants	89 (13.6%)	51 (14.1%)	38 (13.0%)
City > 100k inhabitants	421 (64.4%)	230 (63.7%)	191 (65.2%)
Availability of extracurricular activities in high school	467 (71.6%)	255 (70.8%)	212 (72.6%)	.662
Participation in National Olympiads for high-school students	292 (44.8%)	137 (38.2%)	155 (52.9%)	<.001
Laureates of National Olympiads	38 (5.8%)	13 (3.6%)	25 (8.5%)	<.001
Research interest in high school
High	383 (55.2%)	227 (58.2%)	156 (51.3%)	.101
Average	262(37.8%)	141 (36.2%)	121 (39.8%)
Low	49 (7.1%)	22 (5.6%)	27 (8.9%)
Considering research possibilities at medical university
Yes	350 (50.7%)	230 (59.4%)	120 (39.5%)	<.001
No	180 (26.0%)	70 (18.1%)	110 (36.2%)
Hard to say	161 (23.3%)	87 (22.5%)	74 (24.3%)

Table 2. Comparisons of attitudes regarding research interests, activities, and plans for further scientific career among 2nd and 5th-year students.

Factor	n (%)
	Overall	2nd-year students	5th-year students	p-Value
Member of student scientific group	516 (74.7)	267 (69.0%)	249 (81.9%)	<.001
Member of student scientific group on 1st year	39 (5.7%)	23 (6.0%)	16 (5.3%)	.742
Motivation for scientific group activity
Research	55 (11.7)	34 (14.3)	21 (9.0)	.052
Clinical work	239 (50.9)	124 (52.3)	115 (49.4)
Clinical work and research	164 (34.9)	71 (30.0)	93 (39.9)
Other	12 (2.6)	8 (3.4)	4 (1.7)
Involvement in research projects at the university?
Yes
No, but I wish	140 (20.2)	33 (8.5)	107 (35.2)	<.001
No	278 (40.2)	190 (49.0)	88 (28.9)
	274 (39.6)	165 (42.5)	109 (35.9)
Involvement in research projects outside the university?
Yes	39 (5.6)	14 (3.6)	25 (8.2)	.001
No, but I wish	199 (28.7)	129 (33.2)	70 (23.0)
No	455 (65.7)	246 (63.2)	209 (68.8)
Authorship of publication	87 (12.7)	16 (4.2)	71 (23.5%)	<.001
Active participation in scientific conference in Poland	89 (12.9)	16 (4.1)	73 (24.0)	<.001
Active participation in scientific conference abroad	9 (1.4)	2 (0.6)	7 (32.4)	.163
Plans a research activity after studies
Yes	233 (33.8)	135 (35.0%)	98 (32.3%)	.034
Not know	388 (56.3)	223 (57.8%)	165 (54.5)
No	68 (9.9)	28 (7.3%)	40 (13.2)
High interest in obtaining PhD (“Yes” and “definitely yes”)	360 (52.8)	218 (57.7)	142 (46.8)	.005
High interest in internships/exchanges abroad (“Yes” and “definitely yes”)	545 (79.9)	333 (88.1)	212 (69.8)	<.001

Table 3. Comparisons of attitudes regarding selected issues associated with research among 2nd and 5th-year students.

	Agreement* from 2nd-year students (%)	Agreement* from 5th-year students (%)	p**
Science allows us to better understand the world	90.8	97.0	.220
We're living healthier and safer with science	88.6	86.1	.212
Every doctor, dentist, pharmacist should know the basis of scientific research	78.4	75.6	.719
Research is important because it develops logical thinking and the ability to deduce	75.8	65.0	.000
Every student should take part in scientific research during their studies	33.1	21.9	<.001
A medical student should be able to plan and conduct a research project and write a scientific publication	55.0	37.3	<.001
Conducting research is important to be a good specialist (clinician) in a given medical field	47.6	22.1	<.001
The methodology of conducting scientific research should be taught at university.	63.4	73.3	.005
I trust the results of research presented by the public (TV, press)	12.7	5.9	<.001
I trust the research results presented in the scientific journals	76.9	89.4	<.001

*Responses 4 and 5 on a 5-point Likert scale were grouped as "agreement" for reporting purposes.

**U-Mann–Whitney test between responses of 5-point Likert scale.

Table 4. Comparisons of attitudes regarding barriers for research during medical studies among 2nd and 5th-year students.

Barrier	Agreement* from 2nd-year students (%)	Agreement* from 5th-year students (%)	p**
Lack of time	82.2	81.4	.750
Lack of knowledge of how to start	76.5	88.3	<.001
Lack of funding/grants for research	73.6	73.4	.994
Lack of knowledge on the subject	70.2	73.8	.099
Lack of experience	70.1	77.6	.006
More interest in clinical than scientific work	68.0	66.3	.500
No idea/research team	62.0	70.5	.015
Greater emphasis on education than science/research	63.8	63.8	.919
Lack of substantive preparation in terms of researching during the studies	57.6	69.2	<.001
Lack of information on scientific work opportunities	58.4	61.1	.202
Lack/insufficient financial compensation	52.1	51.0	.693
Fear of making mistakes	53.8	38.8	<.001
Discouragement of assistants/teachers/colleagues	32.1	33.7	.590

*Responses 4 and 5 on a 5-point Likert scale were grouped as "agreement" for reporting purposes.

**U-Mann–Whitney test between responses of 5-point Likert scale.

Data availability statement

The datasets generated during and analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to institutional regulations but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.