The interplay between research expectations and perceived barriers: a mediation analysis among Chinese medical...

Scientific research activity is essential to drive undergraduate medical education innovation, but many barriers prevent students from participating in research activities. While many studies have identified these challenges, the psychological factors, such as research expectations and interest, influencing students' perceptions of these barriers have been less explored. This study intends to explore these barriers and how research expectations, through interest, influence student engagement in research.

This cross-sectional study involved 322 medical students from Shandong University. The majority of participants were from the specialty of Clinical Medicine (72.36%), with other students from non-Clinical specialties (e.g. Public Health and Preventive Medicine, etc.). A structured questionnaire was used, measuring five key areas: demographics, scholarly characteristics, current research experience, attitudes toward research barriers, and research expectations. Statistical analyses, including Ordered logistic regression, Spearman's correlation, and Mediation analysis, were employed to assess research expectations' direct and indirect effects on perceived barriers through research interest.

The study found that the most significant barriers to research were lack of mentorship, heavy academic workload, lack of research skills, and insufficient funding. Students with higher research expectations reported greater perceived barriers, but their higher levels of research interest reduced the perceived impact of these barriers. Mediation analysis found that research interest acted as a mediator between expectations and barriers, with a significant indirect effect of expectations on barriers through interest. This study highlights the complex interaction between research expectations, interest, and perceived barriers in undergraduate medical education.

The findings suggest that while high expectations may increase the awareness of challenges, strong intrinsic interest in research mitigates the impact of these barriers. Integrating more research-related courses into the training program, and providing adequate mentorship and resources to support students' research engagement will help cultivate a research-oriented mindset among medical undergraduates.