Comparing of Barriers to Research Activities among Students of Arak University of Medical Sciences, and Appropriate Strategies for Student Research Management

Introduction: Scientific research in the medical sciences is known as a basic necessity for professional development which leads to clinical improvement. This study aims to compare the barriers to research activities among students of Arak University of Medical Sciences and provide proper strategies for student research management. Methods: This analytical comparative study was carried out in year 2012 on 325 students of Arak University of Medical Sciences. Non-researcer students were selected through stratified sampling while researcher students were selected by census. Data was collected using two researcher-made questionnaires classified using Likert scale that compared barriers existing in institutional and individual area. The scores given to these barriers were compared to those found by similar studies in 25 published articles. Strategies for improving student research management were validated using the Delphi technique. Validity and reliability of the questionnaires were confirmed and data was analyzed using ANOVA and t-test. Results: According to the viewpoints of researcher students, mean score for barriers in instutional area was (3.32±2.14) and according to non-researcher students, mean score for existence of barriers in individual area was (3.68±1.98) which is considered high . The highest barrier scores belonged to the lack of of trained research assistants (4.35±1.3), no application of research outcomes in the community (4.25±.9), and students’ unfamiliarity with digital library (4.31±1.5). The mean score of institutional barriers given by non-researcher students was significantly different among different schools (p=0.001). No significant correlation was observed between gender or students’ grand point averages with scores of research barriers (p>0/05). Finally improvement strategies for students’ reasearch management in three fields of structure, process, and function were represented. Conclusion: This research emphasises on the required infrastructures for student researches, taking benefit of well-trained research assistants and encorporating research methodology course in curricula of all medical sciences disciplines as the main basis for student research activity improvement.