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P. Stubbs1, N. Bartley2, A. McCambridge3, A. Verhagen1, J. Pate1
1University of Technology Sydney, Discipline of Physiotherapy, Graduate School of Health, Sydney, Australia, 2The University of Sydney, School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, Sydney, Australia, 3Public Health Association of New Zealand | Kāhui Hauora Tūmatanui, Auckland, New Zealand
Background: Physiotherapy degrees have an obligation to teach evidence-based practice. However, students often have negative attitudes towards research-only subjects. Students who lack positive attitudes towards research may disengage from research when practicing clinically. This may lead to the non-use of evidence, the lack of uptake of new evidence, and may negatively affect patient outcomes.
Purpose: To assess the difference in student attitudes towards research before and after a 2-year graduate-entry Master of Physiotherapy degree in Australia.
Methods: All students starting their degree in 2020 and 2021 (n=129) and all students completing their degree in 2020 and 2021 (n=125) were invited to participate in an anonymous survey. Students were provided a web link and QR code one week before the start of their degree (semester A) and during the final week of their degree (semester D). During the degree, all students completed two separate research subjects (in Semester C and semester D), which included a research project.
Student perceptions towards research were measured using the Revised Attitudes Towards Research scale (R-ATR) which is a 13-statement questionnaire on attitudes towards research. For each statement, answers were provided on a 7-point Likert scale with response options ranging from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (7). There were three domains assessing a) research usefulness (4 statements), b) anxiety towards research (5 statements) and c) positive research dispositions (4 statements) as well as a total score. Scores for the ‘anxiety towards research’ items were reverse coded according to the guidance of the R-ATR. Complete case analysis was performed. Total and domain scores were compared between semester A and semester D using unpaired tests, appropriate to distribution. Differences were expressed using standardised mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). The a priori minimal important difference was defined as an SMD of 0.35.
Student perceptions towards research were measured using the Revised Attitudes Towards Research scale (R-ATR) which is a 13-statement questionnaire on attitudes towards research. For each statement, answers were provided on a 7-point Likert scale with response options ranging from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (7). There were three domains assessing a) research usefulness (4 statements), b) anxiety towards research (5 statements) and c) positive research dispositions (4 statements) as well as a total score. Scores for the ‘anxiety towards research’ items were reverse coded according to the guidance of the R-ATR. Complete case analysis was performed. Total and domain scores were compared between semester A and semester D using unpaired tests, appropriate to distribution. Differences were expressed using standardised mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). The a priori minimal important difference was defined as an SMD of 0.35.
Results: The response rate was 97% in semester A and 57% in semester D. Mean total scores for R-ATR were 59 (SD=10) in semester A and 57 (SD=12) in semester D. There was no difference between semester A and semester D in total r-ATRQ scores (SMD -0.22, 95%CI -0.50 to 0.07), research usefulness (SMD -0.09, 95%CI -0.37 to 0.19) and anxiety towards research (SMD 0.04, 95%CI -0.25 to 0.32). Students had less positive research dispositions (SMD -0.34, 95%CI -0.62 to -0.05).
Conclusions: Overall, there is no difference in the student’s attitudes towards research. For ‘positive research dispositions’, students were less positive on completion of the 2-year Masters degree compared to the beginning of the degree although the SMD did not reach our a-priori set minimal important difference. The wide 95% CI’s indicate that the difference could be trivial or meaningful.
Implications: This research has shown that potential improvements in our research subjects could be made, particularly in showing students how to apply and use research in practice (positive research dispositions). The low percentage of survey respondents in semester D may cause an over-or under-estimate of estimates, depending on why students chose not to complete the survey.
Funding acknowledgements: This work is unfunded
Keywords:
Evidence Based Practice
Students
Attitudes towards research
Evidence Based Practice
Students
Attitudes towards research
Topics:
Education
Education: continuing professional development
Education
Education: continuing professional development
Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: University of Technology Sydney
Committee: University of Technology Sydney Human Research Ethical Committee
Ethics number: ETH19-4542 and ETH21-6596
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
