Dataset Information

Background factors associated with academic motivation for attending medical school immediately after admission in Japan: A single-center study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

To become a doctor with a high level of professionalism and ethical standards, it is important to have and maintain a high level of motivation right from medical school. However, studies in Japan have not quantitatively investigated the factors related to motivation immediately after enrollment. This study aimed to identify the demographic factors that influence the motivation of medical students immediately after admission.

Methods

A cross-sectional single-center study was conducted. First-year medical students answered our questionnaire three weeks after the admission. The questionnaire comprised 16 demographic items and the 28-item Academic Motivation Scale, which was used to quantify motivation.

Results

Our analysis showed that amotivation, representing low levels of self-determinant motivation, was significantly higher in students whose parents were medical professionals and in students who did not talk about their problems than in those whose parents were not medical professionals and those who did talk about their problems. Intrinsic motivation, which indicates the level of self-determinant motivation, was significantly lower in students who belonged to a sports club.

Conclusions

We suggest that having parents who are medical professionals may be associated with an individual's decreased motivation when entering medical school in Japan. Though this is a novel finding, further research is needed to analyze this relationship.

SUBMITTER: Watari T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9062539 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Background factors associated with academic motivation for attending medical school immediately after admission in Japan: A single-center study.

Watari Takashi T Nagai Nobuhiro N Kono Kaori K Onigata Kazumichi K

Journal of general and family medicine 20220216 3

<h4>Background</h4>To become a doctor with a high level of professionalism and ethical standards, it is important to have and maintain a high level of motivation right from medical school. However, studies in Japan have not quantitatively investigated the factors related to motivation immediately after enrollment. This study aimed to identify the demographic factors that influence the motivation of medical students immediately after admission.<h4>Methods</h4>A cross-sectional single-center study ...[more]

PMID: 35509336

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Project description:ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to clarify and compare the socioeconomic backgrounds of medical students with those of other health professions and non-health faculty students in an era of increasing inequity in Japanese society.DesignThis was a quantitative nationwide study. Data were collected by a cross-sectional web-based anonymous questionnaire.SettingData from years 3 and 4 medical, health professions and non-health faculty students across Japan were collected in 2021.ParticipantsParticipants were 1991 students from medical schools, 224 from dental, 419 from pharmacy, 326 from nursing, 144 from other health professions and 207 from non-health faculties.ResultsThe proportion of high-income families (>18 million yen: ca. US$140 000) among medical students was 25.6%, higher than that of pharmacy (8.7%) and nursing students (4.1%) (p<0.01). One-third of medical students had a physician parent, more common than in non-medical students (p<0.01). Students who only applied to public medical schools and a regional quota 'Chiiki-waku' students with scholarship had lower family income and physician parents compared with those who applied to private medical schools (p<0.01), but they still had higher physician parents compared with non-medical students (p<0.01). Logistic regression revealed that having a physician parent (p<0.01), aspiring to the present profession during elementary school (p<0.01) and private upper secondary school graduation (p<0.01) predicted the likelihood of studying medicine. There were regional differences of backgrounds among medical students, and 80% of medical students with urban backgrounds intended to work in urban localities after graduation.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence that medical students in Japan hail from urban and higher income classes and physicians' families. This finding has implications for the health workforce maldistribution in Japan. Widening the diversity of medical students is essential for solving physician workforce issues and meeting broad healthcare needs.

Project description:BackgroundSchool attendance is a crucial determinant of academic success. Our previous research has identified factors that influence elementary school students' perceptions of attending school, but whether these factors apply to older students remains unclear. We investigated the extent to which the factors identified in the previous research apply to junior high school students and their attitudes toward attending school.MethodsWe hypothesized that students' "perceptions of attending school" was directly influenced by their perceptions of "relationships with friends and teachers," "current circumstances," "subjective health status," and "having people to share experiences and thoughts with." We developed an original questionnaire with 19 items and analyzed data collected from 6245 junior high school students in Japan, using a structural equation model.ResultsThe final model demonstrated a good fit. Students' "positive perceptions of attending school" was directly and positively influenced by their "positive perceptions of relationships with friends and teachers" and directly and negatively influenced by their "perceptions of poorer subjective health status". Other latent variables directly and positively influenced the perceptions of attending school, but not strongly. Students' perceptions of "relationships with friends and teachers," "current circumstances," and "having people to share experiences and thoughts with" correlated positively with each other. These three latent variables also correlated negatively with "poorer subjective health status."ConclusionsThe role of positive relationships with friends and teachers in shaping students' perceptions of school attendance, coupled with the negative impact of poorer subjective health status, underscores the need for educators to adopt approaches that specifically address these areas. It is crucial to provide support to students in cultivating positive relationships, fostering positive perceptions of school, and offering resources to those who are encountering mental or physical health challenges. Implementing the evidence-based questionnaire developed in this study is recommended to enhance student support and well-being.

Project description:Objectives: A potential new avenue to address the shortage of country doctors is to change the rules for admission to medical school. We therefore study the link between high-school grade point average and prospective physicians' choice to work in rural areas. To further inform the discussion about rules for admission, we also study the effects of other predictors: a measure of students' attitudes towards risk; whether they waited for their place of study (Wartesemester); whether their parents worked as medical doctors; and whether they have some practical experience in the medical sector. Methods: We conducted two internet surveys in 2012 and 2014. In the first survey, the sample comprised 701 students and in the second, 474 students. In both surveys, we asked students for their regional preferences; in the 2014 survey, we additionally asked students for their first, second, and third preferences among a comprehensive set of specializations, including becoming a general practitioner. In both surveys, we asked students for basic demographic information (age and gender), their parents' occupation, a measure of subjective income expectations, a measure of risk attitudes, and their high-school grade point average (Abiturnote), and First National Boards Examination grade (Physikum). In 2014, we additionally asked for waiting periods (Wartesemester) as well as for prior professional experience in the health-care sector. Results: We find that three factors increase the probability of having a preference for working in a rural area significantly, holding constant all other influences: having a medical doctor among the parents, having worse grades in the high-school grade point average, and being more risk averse. Moreover, we find that those willing to work in the countryside have significantly more experience in the medical sector before admission to medical school. Discussion: Our results suggest that a change in the selection process for medical school may increase the supply of country doctors. Instead of focusing on the high-school grade point average, universities could even more intensely screen for study motivation through interviews or by taking into account students' background, extracurricular activities, or waiting periods.

Dataset Information

Background factors associated with academic motivation for attending medical school immediately after admission in Japan: A single-center study.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Background factors associated with academic motivation for attending medical school immediately after admission in Japan: A single-center study.

Similar Datasets

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