Developing Undergraduate Research in Japanese Medical Education

Abstract

In Japanese medical education, undergraduate research was first introduced in the 1960s, and currently 69 out of 80 medical schools surveyed (86 percent) have incorporated research-oriented education into the curriculum (Mori 1991; Association of Japanese Medical Colleges 2014). For over 50 years, however, undergraduate research generally has tended to be a springboard for basic medical scientists or content experts--students interested in pursuing an academic career and advancing knowledge. Now, however, the World Federation for Medical Education's global standards for basic medical education stress the cultivation of students' critical-thinking skills through research as an important component of an educational program (World Federation for Medical Education 2012). This article describes the recent educational practice of undergraduate research at a Japanese medical school and the effects on students' perceptions of the research and approaches to learning (Imafuku et al. 2015). Then)