Barriers to research engagement among medical students in Türkiye: the role of environmental factors

Abstract

Medical student participation in structured research activities during undergraduate education appears to remain limited and the factors underlying this limited participation are not yet fully understood. Existing validated questionnaires were not suitable for the Turkish undergraduate context, leaving important aspects of medical students’ research-related knowledge and perceptions underexplored. This gap highlights the need for a context-specific assessment tool. The primary objective of this nationwide cross-sectional study was to identify individual, environmental, mentorship-related, and training factors associated with medical students’ intention to participate in future scientific research. The secondary objectives were to describe perceived barriers and unmet support needs and to examine factors associated with knowledge of reference-management software while prior research engagement and publication history were characterized separately as indicators of previous research exposure and output. A nationwide cross-sectional electronic survey was conducted among medical students in Türkiye between August and October 2025 using convenience sampling. The study-specific questionnaire was developed by medical students actively involved in research, informed by relevant literature and their direct experience of overcoming common research-related difficulties, and adapted to the Turkish medical education context. Item content was reviewed by a research-active professor to assess content relevance and coverage. Face validity and feasibility were assessed in a pilot test with 20 medical students focusing on clarity, comprehensibility, and completion time. Incomplete or inconsistent responses were excluded. The statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, Mann–Whitney U tests for continuous variables, and Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests for categorical variables. Multivariable binary logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with intention to participate in research and with knowledge of reference-management software. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. A total of 1,062 medical students were included in the study, representing 75 of the 111 medical faculties in Türkiye, corresponding to an institutional coverage rate of 67.6%. Because the survey was disseminated through open online channels, an individual-level participant response rate could not be calculated. Research consideration rates were similar between public and private university students (80.0% vs 84.8%, p=0.169). In multivariable analysis, higher English proficiency (aOR 3.07, 95% CI 1.96–4.83), a research-active person in one's environment (aOR 1.92, 95% CI 1.30–2.82), prior research experience (aOR 1.83, 95% CI 1.24–2.69), and academic-writing training (aOR 1.86, 95% CI 1.10–3.16) were independently associated with intention to participate in scientific research. Among all respondents, 10.8% reported at least one peer-reviewed publication; among those who had participated in research, 23.7% had published. Higher English proficiency, prior research experience, prior academic-writing training, and the presence of a research-active person in the student’s environment were independently associated with greater intention to participate in future scientific research. Given the cross-sectional design, these findings should be interpreted as associations rather than causal relationships.