Benefits and challenges of fostering research-focused communities of practice at a specialised health sciences university: An exploratory study
Introduction: Structured undergraduate research, whether mandatory or elective, provides undergraduate students with a unique opportunity to develop their research skills. However, the majority of the students undertake individual research projects rather than working in a group. This study explores...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.jfmpc.com/article.asp?issn=2249-4863;year=2022;volume=11;issue=8;spage=4588;epage=4594;aulast=Al-Nasser |
| _version_ | 1798021765915475968 |
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| author | Sami Al-Nasser Emad Mohamed Masuadi Idris Mohamud Salaad Ahmad Ibrahim Aldayel Abdullah Sami Alharbi Abdullah Mansour Alothman Hamad Mohammed Alkanhal Faisal Mohammed Alothman Mohammed Faisal Safi |
| author_facet | Sami Al-Nasser Emad Mohamed Masuadi Idris Mohamud Salaad Ahmad Ibrahim Aldayel Abdullah Sami Alharbi Abdullah Mansour Alothman Hamad Mohammed Alkanhal Faisal Mohammed Alothman Mohammed Faisal Safi |
| author_sort | Sami Al-Nasser |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Structured undergraduate research, whether mandatory or elective, provides undergraduate students with a unique opportunity to develop their research skills. However, the majority of the students undertake individual research projects rather than working in a group. This study explores the perceived benefits and challenges of fostering research focused communities of practice at a specialised health sciences university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee at the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC). A self-administered questionnaire was developed that assessed the perceived benefits and challenges of doing research in groups. Data were collected using a mixture of a dichotomous and a 5-point Likert scale and were analysed using Statistical Program for Social Scientists (SPSS). Results: Of the 380 medical students invited to participate in this study, 307 completed the questionnaire, with a response rate of 80.7%. The majority of the medical students (87%) agreed on the importance of teamwork in conducting medical research. Almost all medical students (96%) believed patience and tolerance were required to make the team successful. Significant differences were found between junior and senior medical students regarding their perceived benefits (P-value = 0.0001) and challenges (P-value = 0.0007). Conclusion: Although most of the students believed that doing research in groups is essential and that working within such groups enhances their research knowledge, forming these research groups was not without problems. The need for patience and tolerance to keep the group together, the issue of free-riders and the difficulties related to which research group to join were some of the challenges students encountered. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T17:18:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-39496d45e9c24bd3b4289266d2cfed1b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2249-4863 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T17:18:55Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care |
| spelling | doaj.art-39496d45e9c24bd3b4289266d2cfed1b2022-12-22T04:12:32ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsJournal of Family Medicine and Primary Care2249-48632022-01-011184588459410.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_2275_21Benefits and challenges of fostering research-focused communities of practice at a specialised health sciences university: An exploratory studySami Al-NasserEmad Mohamed MasuadiIdris Mohamud SalaadAhmad Ibrahim AldayelAbdullah Sami AlharbiAbdullah Mansour AlothmanHamad Mohammed AlkanhalFaisal Mohammed AlothmanMohammed Faisal SafiIntroduction: Structured undergraduate research, whether mandatory or elective, provides undergraduate students with a unique opportunity to develop their research skills. However, the majority of the students undertake individual research projects rather than working in a group. This study explores the perceived benefits and challenges of fostering research focused communities of practice at a specialised health sciences university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee at the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC). A self-administered questionnaire was developed that assessed the perceived benefits and challenges of doing research in groups. Data were collected using a mixture of a dichotomous and a 5-point Likert scale and were analysed using Statistical Program for Social Scientists (SPSS). Results: Of the 380 medical students invited to participate in this study, 307 completed the questionnaire, with a response rate of 80.7%. The majority of the medical students (87%) agreed on the importance of teamwork in conducting medical research. Almost all medical students (96%) believed patience and tolerance were required to make the team successful. Significant differences were found between junior and senior medical students regarding their perceived benefits (P-value = 0.0001) and challenges (P-value = 0.0007). Conclusion: Although most of the students believed that doing research in groups is essential and that working within such groups enhances their research knowledge, forming these research groups was not without problems. The need for patience and tolerance to keep the group together, the issue of free-riders and the difficulties related to which research group to join were some of the challenges students encountered.http://www.jfmpc.com/article.asp?issn=2249-4863;year=2022;volume=11;issue=8;spage=4588;epage=4594;aulast=Al-Nassermedicineresearchstudents |
| spellingShingle | Sami Al-Nasser Emad Mohamed Masuadi Idris Mohamud Salaad Ahmad Ibrahim Aldayel Abdullah Sami Alharbi Abdullah Mansour Alothman Hamad Mohammed Alkanhal Faisal Mohammed Alothman Mohammed Faisal Safi Benefits and challenges of fostering research-focused communities of practice at a specialised health sciences university: An exploratory study Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care medicine research students |
| title | Benefits and challenges of fostering research-focused communities of practice at a specialised health sciences university: An exploratory study |
| title_full | Benefits and challenges of fostering research-focused communities of practice at a specialised health sciences university: An exploratory study |
| title_fullStr | Benefits and challenges of fostering research-focused communities of practice at a specialised health sciences university: An exploratory study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Benefits and challenges of fostering research-focused communities of practice at a specialised health sciences university: An exploratory study |
| title_short | Benefits and challenges of fostering research-focused communities of practice at a specialised health sciences university: An exploratory study |
| title_sort | benefits and challenges of fostering research focused communities of practice at a specialised health sciences university an exploratory study |
| topic | medicine research students |
| url | http://www.jfmpc.com/article.asp?issn=2249-4863;year=2022;volume=11;issue=8;spage=4588;epage=4594;aulast=Al-Nasser |
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