Research training in the University of the Philippines Manila / Cristina F. Mencias, Jocelyn Marzan, Marina Omalos, Rosario Rubite, Aurora Rojas, Anthony Ramos

This study investigated research training in University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) and the research experiences of UPM students and Philippine General Hospital (PGH) residents. The sources of data included research-related publications of UPM, syllabi of different courses and responses to questionnaires and focus group discussions (FGDs). A total of 283 members of the UPM community provided input for this study of the 185 senior students and 22 faculty members from all colleges of UPM, 36 residents and 28 from PGH responded to the questionnaires. Twelve teachers participated in FGDs. the study was conducted at the end of second semester of school year 2000-2001 in UPM. Findings of the study show that: 1. Almost all programs have research courses and a research paper requirement. Colleges differ wideley in the content and activies of their research courses but agree on basic knowledge and skills that learners ought to acquire. 2. Formal research training and experience as part of a research team or panel are primary qualifications of research teachers and advisers. 3. Research is recognized as a valuable learning experience and almost all respondents believe that research should be retained as a requirement for both academic programs and residency training. 4. Teachers and supervisors helps students not only in carrying out the research process but also by being role models, sources of guidance and support. 5. The library, laboratory, and other resources of UPM and PGH are not adequate for research activities. Some units have more resources and experts in some fields such as statistical techniques. Respondents believe that pooling of resources may help improve research. 6. Lack of time to do research is the leading problem of both students and teachers. If it is not possible to provie more time, research may be started earlier in the program. 7. Students in general are satisfied with the content and activities of the research courses and the supervision they receive from their advisers. They also identified significant learning outcomes that made research worthwhile. 8. The modes of assessment of research outputs include publications, presentations in conferences, use of research findings in other courses and employment of graduates as research assistants. Suggestions to imporve research are geared towards providing time, increasing resources, and offering research training courses on specific topics and skills. Organizational support in terms of funds and personnel would also enhance research.

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