The approach to undergraduate research projects at Namibia’s first School of Medicine
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background. The integration of undergraduate research (UR) in biomedical curricula has gained much interest.
Objective. To investigate the research focus of compulsory UR in the medical curriculum of the University of Namibia’s School of Medicine.
Methods. A retrospective mixed-methods document review was performed on 42 research projects using the 5C framework that assessed students’ ability
to Cite, Compare, Contrast, Critique and Connect in their research reports.
Results. Students’ research projects focused on internal medicine (29%; n=12), paediatrics (26%; n=11), obstetrics and gynaecology (19%; n=8), surgery
(10%; n=4), psychiatry (5%; n=2) and oncology (2%; n=1). A final category is other, which included health professions education and anatomy (10%; n=4).
Students’ reports had aims, objectives or goals that were correctly done. Students’ review of the literature reflected their ability to cite relevant scholarly
works and to compare these by highlighting agreements or disagreements. Contrasting and critiquing research findings proved to be challenging.
Conclusion. Findings from the current study indicate variability in the degree of students’ research competence. It appears that the elements of critical
thinking and appraisal require further strengthening within the existing curriculum
Downloads
Article Details
Issue
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The AJHPE is published under an Attribution-Non Commercial International Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY-NC 4.0) License. Under this license, authors agree to make articles available to users, without permission or fees, for any lawful, non-commercial purpose. Users may read, copy, or re-use published content as long as the author and original place of publication are properly cited.
Exceptions to this license model is allowed for UKRI and research funded by organisations requiring that research be published open-access without embargo, under a CC-BY licence. As per the journals archiving policy, authors are permitted to self-archive the author-accepted manuscript (AAM) in a repository.
How to Cite
References
De Vegt F, Otten JDM, de Bruijn DRH, et al. Research in action ‒ students’ perspectives on the integration of research activities in undergraduate biomedical curricula. Med Sci Educ 2021;31:371-374. https://doi. org/10.1007/s40670-021-01228-8
Elsen GMF, Visser-Wijnveen GJ, van der Rijst RM, van Driel JH. How to strengthen the connection between research and teaching in undergraduate university education. High Educ Quart 2009;63(1):64-85. https://doi. org/10.1111/j.1468-2273.2008.00411.x
Spronken-SmithR,WalkerR.Caninquiry-basedlearningstrengthenthelinksbetweenteachinganddisciplinary research? Stud High Educ 2010;35(6):723-740. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070903315502
Chang Y, Ramnanan CJ. A review of literature on medical students and scholarly research: Experiences, attitudes, and outcomes. Acad Med 2015;90(8):1162-1173. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000000702
Laidlaw A, Aiton J, Struthers J, Guild S. Developing research skills in medical students: AMEE Guide No. 69. Med Teach 2012;34(9):754-771. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2012.704438
Knight SE, van Wyk JM, Mahomed S. Teaching research: A programme to develop research capacity in undergraduate medical students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. BMC Med Educ 2016;16:61. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-016-0567-7
Linn MC, Palmer E, Baranger A, Gerard E, Stone E. Undergraduate research experiences: Impacts and opportunities. Science 2015;347(6222):1261757. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1261757
Brew A. Understanding the scope of undergraduate research: A framework for curricular and pedagogical decision-making. High Educ 2013;66(5):603-618. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-013-9624-x
Abdulai RT, Owusu-Ansah A. Essential ingredients of a good research proposal for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the social sciences. Sage Open 2014;4(3):21582440145. https://doi. org/10.1177%2F2158244014548178
Nel D, Burman RJ, Hoffman R, Randera-Rees S. The attitudes of medical students to research. S Afr Med J 2014;104(1):33-36. https://doi.org/10.7196/samj.7058
Ommering BWC, van Blankenstein FM, Waaijer CJF, Dekker FW. Future physician-scientists: Could we catch them young? Factors influencing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for research among first-year medical students. Perspect Med Educ 2018;7(4):248-255. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-018-0440-y
Jacobson C, Hunter CJ, Wessels Q. Biomedical research at Namibia’s first school of medicine and pharmacy. Med Sci Educ 2013;23:135-140. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03341818
Sudheesh K, Duggappa DR, Nethra SS. How to write a research proposal? Indian J Anaesth 2016;60:631-634.
https://doi.org/10.4103%2F0019-5049.190617
Murdoch-Eaton D, Drewery S, Elton S, et al. What do medical students understand by research and research skills? Identifying research opportunities within undergraduate projects. Med Teach 2010;32(3):e152-e160. https://doi.org/10.3109/01421591003657493
Kibuule D, Aiases P, Ruswa N, et al. Predictors of loss to follow-up of tuberculosis cases under the DOTS programme in Namibia. ERJ Open Res 2020;6(1). https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00030-2019
GBD 2019 Universal Health Coverage Collaborators. Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990 - 2019: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet 2020;396(10258):1250-1284. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140- 6736(20)30750-9
Mangena A, Chabeli MM. Strategies to overcome obstacles in the facilitation of critical thinking in nursing education. Nurs Educ Today 2005;25(4):291-298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2005.01.012
Russell CD, Lawson McLean A, MacGregor KE, Millar FR, Young AM, Funston M. Perceived barriers to research in undergraduate medicine. Med Teach 2012;34(9):777-778. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2012.700143
Alsaleem SA, Alkhairi MAY, Alzahrani, MAA, et al. Challenges and barriers toward medical research among
medical and dental students at King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Front Public Health 2021;9:706778. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.706778