Table 3.
Research skills inventory: comparison between three time points +
| Please indicate your ability to successfully perform each task by selecting a single number from 0 to 10 that best describes your level of confidence. We would like to know how confident you are that you can successfully perform these tasks TODAY | Pre-test | Post-test # | Most recent ^ | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
sd |
|
sd |
|
sd | |
| Average of all items | 6.84 | 1.14 | 7.46 * | 1.73 | 7.83 * | 1.09 |
| Assemble an interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, or multidisciplinary research team | 6.98 | 1.96 | 7.46 | 1.73 | 7.33 | 1.96 |
| Manage an interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, or multidisciplinary research team | 6.46 | 1.84 | 7.02 | 1.96 | 6.96 | 2.05 |
| Critically evaluate arguments | 7.29 | 2.08 | 7.83 | 1.01 | 8.00 | 1.14 |
| Approach research problems creatively | 7.69 | 1.88 | 8.02 | 1.26 | 7.70 | 1.23 |
| Identify a significant research problem | 7.40 | 2.14 | 8.02 | 1.54 | 7.85 | 1.48 |
| Launch a research project | 7.21 | 1.88 | 7.88 | 1.78 | 7.50 | 1.53 |
| Distinguish between a theoretical and conceptual model | 6.49 | 2.39 | 7.83 * | 1.56 | 7.78 * | 1.46 |
| Develop a research question using FINER criteria | 4.67 | 3.12 | 8.12 * | 1.40 | 7.72 * | 1.61 |
| Develop a hypothesis based on your research question | 7.34 | 2.15 | 8.61 * | 1.59 | 8.22 | 1.51 |
| Identify the sections of a scientific research paper | 8.10 | 2.16 | 8.95 | 1.78 | 8.98 | 1.63 |
| Write a compelling abstract for a scientific paper | 7.32 | 2.03 | 8.46 * | 1.45 | 8.44 * | 1.37 |
| Write a scientific research paper | 7.05 | 2.43 | 8.35 * | 1.75 | 8.05 | 1.77 |
| Identify the stages of the grant writing and review process | 6.63 | 2.48 | 8.43 * | 1.77 | 7.95 * | 1.70 |
| Identify appropriate funding agencies for your research | 6.10 | 2.77 | 7.81 * | 2.24 | 7.43 * | 2.03 |
| Submit a competitive grant application | 5.46 | 2.87 | 7.15 * | 2.12 | 6.87 * | 2.40 |
| Respond to reviewer critiques of a manuscript | 6.78 | 2.82 | 8.10 * | 1.77 | 8.14 * | 1.68 |
| Describe the roles and responsibilities of a peer reviewer | 7.18 | 2.39 | 8.63 * | 1.73 | 8.49 * | 1.73 |
| Develop a timeline for completing a research project | 7.14 | 1.77 | 8.26 * | 1.82 | 7.85 | 1.81 |
| Write a manual of procedures (or an equivalent document) for a research project | 6.88 | 2.35 | 7.93 | 1.88 | 7.60 | 1.92 |
+
Only tested those items where the difference was > 1 point improvement to minimize type I error.
#
Pre-test vs post-test after completing the first year of the program using paired t-test.
^
Pre vs most recent (post-test or alumni survey) using paired t-test.
*
Significant using Bonferroni-corrected alpha.