Research of medical students’ motivation for studying mathematical disciplines

Abstract

Mathematical disciplines within the educational programs of medical training are currently represented by a small number of auditory working hours. Most students do not focus on studying these disciplines, because they lack motivation. It is significant to examine motivational attitudes of medical students in relation to mathematical disciplines carefully in order to improve the teaching process.The problem of the research is to define resources of medical students’ motivation while studying mathematical disciplines.The research objectives are to reveal the incentives encouraging future doctors to study mathematical disciplines thoroughly.The research methods used are the method of survey, the method of analyzing products of activity, the method of generalization and systematization of the data obtained.The research results are the following: the incentives motivating medical students to study mathematical disciplines have been highlighted, the interconnection between motivational attitudes and students’ personal interests have been identified; the reasons influencing future doctors’ motivation to study mathematical disciplines have been defined; the principles of organizing mathematical training for medical students in the context of the motivational component of the university educational process have been named.Key findings are: the quality of medical students’ performance depends on the nature of their motivational attitudes towards the type of the discipline given; enhancing practice-oriented component while selecting educational material has a positive impact on the dynamics of future physicians’ motivation to study mathematical disciplines.