Scientific research at universities is conducted in the form of courses, graduation requirements, or extracurricular activities. Regardless of the form, many students feel they lack sufficient time, resources, and methods, leading to a reluctance to undertake research.
Many obstacles exist, including time constraints and database limitations.
With a packed schedule and numerous extracurricular activities, TH (a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City) stated that time is the biggest "cost" involved in conducting research for graduation. Each part of the research process takes up a significant amount of time. For example, members of H.'s group spent several hours reading and summarizing a scientific paper in English (20 A4 pages), not to mention synthesizing information from a large number of scientific papers.
The group research process also gave rise to unexpected problems. According to TH, each member had different reading comprehension and presentation skills, leading to inconsistent quality in individual sections of the study. Therefore, the member assigned to edit would spend time reviewing and revising the entire content.
Furthermore, lecturers only provide general knowledge, and the university's database is limited, so students like TH who are doing research have to find materials online on their own. Some resources are expensive, which is a "barrier" to student access.
Students lack time, resources, and the necessary methods, leading to a reluctance to conduct scientific research.
Furthermore, many students have research ideas but struggle with how to implement them. For example, Bui Thi Phuong Anh (a student in the Department of Japanese Language and Culture, University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) has long been interested in several research topics but doesn't know where to start, so she has put them on hold until now. Similarly, Phan Ngoc Linh (a management student at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City) finds the research knowledge at her university disorganized; the instructors' guidance on implementation is complex, making it difficult to apply in practice.
During the research process, several steps are easily influenced by external factors, which is also a reason why students are hesitant to conduct scientific research. "In the stage of 'distributing' survey questionnaires, many people answer just to get it over with, so the research model produces… quite strange results!" shared Trinh Thi Thu Thao (business administration student, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City).
Is scientific research a burden for students?
When asked about the benefits of scientific research, Bui Thi Phuong Anh said she hasn't seen any benefits yet, and even feels it adds to her burden. Meanwhile, TH (a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City) believes that many students participate out of obligation, lacking interest in the "dry" nature of scientific research activities.
However, this activity still brings some undeniable benefits. For example, scientific research helps Nguyen Hoang Huy (a student majoring in chemistry and chemistry education at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education) improve his information processing skills, enhance his English proficiency, and gain a better understanding of the practical applications of his field. Similarly, Trinh Thi Thu Thao (a business administration student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics) can expand her network and learn how to defend her position through participating in scientific research.
Two factors that help students conduct scientific research.
From that, Master Nguyen Huu Binh, lecturer in student research management, Faculty of Sociology, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, concluded that scientific research needs two elements: research inspiration and necessary resources (knowledge, people, time).
Students need to be inspired to conduct scientific research and provided with the necessary resources to do so.
Master Binh suggested that students should experience many activities related to scientific research organized by the faculty/university, participate in the operation of an event to spark interest and curiosity about scientific research before conducting their own research. Afterward, he encouraged students to pursue topics with high practical relevance, rather than choosing overly ambitious projects that could be overwhelming and easily lead to discouragement.
During the research process, students must connect the knowledge they have learned to the research problem, finding connections within existing knowledge areas to develop their topic. Besides the role of the lecturer, students should read many materials and regularly discuss with lecturers if problems arise. Master Binh also emphasized that students need to maintain inner determination to pursue their research topic to the end and do it thoroughly if they want to reap the rewards.
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