Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation as Drivers for Early Engagement in Research by Medical Students

Abstract

BackgroundA student’s motivation is a key factor in their success in undertaking an education endeavour. However, how this relates to involvement in research by medical students is unclear.MethodsAn electronic questionnaire was sent to all medical students at our institution. To ascertain students’ motivation to undertake research, they were asked an open-ended question to describe the single major factor that would encourage them to get involved in research as a medical student. A framework of self-determination theory was used to deductively code the responses as intrinsic motivation (‘IM’; e.g., interest/passion) or extrinsic motivation (‘EM’; e.g. improving CV). The two groups were then contrasted in relation to their research engagement.ResultsA total of 348 students were included in the survey, of whom 204 were coded as IM responses, and 144 were coded as EM responses. Students who engaged in extra-curricular research activities were more likely to report an underlying EM (48% vs. 36%, p = 0.03). They were also older (23.7 ± 3.5 vs. 21.9 ± 3.7, p = 0.005), and more likely to have completed a prior research degree (15% vs. 3%, p = 0.01).ConclusionIn this study, EM was a bigger influencer on research involvement by medical students than IM. Future studies should explore promoters of IM, and include longitudinal data in order to assess whether EM students continue to be involved in research long-term.

Research Oriented Medical School Curricula to Nurture Undergraduates in Preparation for the Future Physician Scientists: Relevance for Developing Countries

“…The URP is getting attention as an integral part of medical education. [1][2][3][4][5]13,14 This helps in critical analysis and leadership during the professional career. Early exposure to URP is a strong motivation to improve learning and for future specialization.…”

“…Study shows that influence of extrinsic motivation (e.g., improving biodata) may be of greater importance than intrinsic motivation (e.g., interest/passion) for medical students to get engaged in URP. 5 Medical students' participation in URP remains low despite the benefits, and thus there is a need to find out the obstacles identified by the students, and develop strategies to motivate them to increase their participation in research. 1,2,17,18…”

“…[1][2][3] Teaching, learning, and competency with integrated URP motivates medical graduates for a lifelong scholar, help in career choices, and develop leadership. [3][4][5] Academic medical institutes play an important role to nurture medical students for a competent and research-oriented physician which is an endangered species. [6][7][8][9] This is worrying that health research has a low priority in the developing countries.…”

A Response to “Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation as Drivers for Early Engagement in Research by Medical Students” – A Medical Student Perspective [Letter]

“…We read with interest the recent article by Almari et al 1 regarding intrinsic motivation (IM) and extrinsic motivation (EM) in the context of medical student involvement in research. The study found that medical students who engaged in research were more likely to report EM.…”

“…For us and many of our peers, the extra points are currently the main motivator to get involved in research, and we relate to the senior medical students in this study who were influenced by the looming deadline of intern applications. 1 …”