Table 2 Examples of student comments on learner engagement

Perceiving the program as a new experience

I wanted to expose myself to a variety of experiences during the preparatory year. That is why I took part in the conference presentation in addition to doing school activities. (Male, PM1, BS)

I was looking forward to publishing research papers through this program. The purpose was not for my career. I think research is valuable and awesome because it can change the world. (Male, M3, CS)

Prior experience

The professor told me to write a paper on my own. I had written a paper in the past, and although it was not in the medical field, I thought the description technique would be similar to what I had used back then. So, I wrote it with that past experience in mind. (Male, M2, CS)

When the research mentor saw me pipetting, he asked me if I had done it before. When I answered that I had, he told me to try it alone after I watched him do the protocols and listen to his explanations. And when he saw me do it, he said, ‘You are following the protocol correctly, so I do not think you need any more explanation.’ (Male, PM1, BS)

Making a good impression

The professor did not pressure me, but I thought I should work harder. If you stay at this university, you have to keep seeing the professor. But I was worried that the professor would think badly of me if I quit the program in the middle, so during the program, I said to myself, ‘Let’s give it a try.’ (Male, M3, CS)

It was not easy to go out to the lab and do experiments every day because it is vacation time. But I did my best because I am not sure when and where I will meet him [the professor]. (Male, PM1, BS)

Sense of contribution

After seeing how my concerns—like how to use AI when collecting and organizing data, or what research areas could make good use of the data—were reflected in the research, I came to believe that I had developed the mindset of a researcher. (Male, M2, CS)