Teachers Must Lead the Way to Draw Students into Research, with Small Projects, Hands-on Training and Mentoring

How university students can get involved in research is a question that often comes up amid shortages of funding, laboratories and experienced mentors. But the responsibility for bringing students into research despite those barriers does not rest with students alone; the role of university teachers, especially researchers, is the most important of all.

Research in Bangladesh is largely centred on university teachers — research happens in the country when they do it, and not otherwise. At the same time, most teachers conduct research for promotion, while the number who research to attract grants from home and abroad is comparatively small.

Young researchers have an indispensable role in building a knowledge-based society, and in innovation, technological excellence and sustainable development for any nation. Creating interest in research among the young, developing scientific thinking and building the necessary skills is therefore the responsibility of researcher-teachers.

In a developing country like Bangladesh, research faces widespread constraints: limited funding, a lack of modern laboratories, shortages of equipment and data, publication costs and a limited research-friendly environment. Even amid all these obstacles, teachers must take effective initiatives first to engage young people in research.

Alongside classroom teaching, creating interest and curiosity about research is one of teachers' main responsibilities. Rather than confining students to textbook knowledge, they must be taught to identify real-life problems, ask questions and analyse conventional ideas in the light of scientific reasoning.

If local problems such as Bangladesh's public health, pharmaceutical industry, agriculture, environmental pollution, biodiversity and climate change are presented as research subjects, students will be able to appreciate the real necessity of research.

Basic research skills must be taught hands-on before research coursework even begins. Skills such as reading and reviewing research papers, formulating research questions, reviewing literature, choosing methodology, collecting and analysing data, using statistics and necessary software, and writing scientific articles must be taught step by step.

At the start, students should be engaged not in large or complex projects but in small, realistic and easily completed research work. That will increase both their interest and their confidence. A teacher can personally analyse a research paper and show how one moves from a scientific question towards acceptable research and publication.

A mindset of overcoming limitations rather than using them as an excuse must be built. Young people must be brought out of the idea that research has to stop just because laboratories, funding or modern equipment are lacking.

A theory-based teaching system detached from research, and a tendency to regularly present research limitations to students, play a big role in creating fear of research among the young. To remove that fear, beginners can be offered literature-based reviews, analysis of open data, methodological reviews, meta-analysis, re-analysis of existing research and low-cost observational research; because open databases can be used in much of this work, the cost is comparatively low.

Arranging necessary training for students at personal and institutional levels according to the type of research is also essential. Creating opportunities for collaboration with university departments, laboratories of other institutions and industry to tackle various research crises is an important responsibility of researcher-teachers.

For young researchers, a teacher must act not only as a supervisor but also as a mentor and companion. Making mistakes at the start of research, not getting expected results or having a paper rejected are all normal experiences; even if some papers written early in a career are permanently rejected, that is no cause for fear.

In such situations, students must be given the opportunity to learn from mistakes rather than being discouraged. Regular discussion, constructive feedback, evaluation of progress and setting realistic goals must continue. Teachers sharing their own research experiences and stories of failure and success can also inspire students.

Researcher-teachers must also play a visible role in ensuring ethics and quality in young people's research. Originality and reliability matter more than rapid publication or a large number of papers. The discussion was written by Dr Md Tarikul Islam, associate professor and head of the Pharmacy Department at Gopalganj University of Science and Technology.