The role of a research seminar for child psychiatry residents.

A major problem confronting the field of child and adolescent psychiatry is the development of teaching strategies to stimulate research activities and an appreciation of research. A teaching approach is described which emphasizes major research concepts using a programmed instruction method and illustrating these concepts with clinical cases. Fourteen child psychiatry residents participated in the seminar during a 3-year period. Overall, trainees' evaluation of the seminar was positive, and they demonstrated a high level of understanding across major research topics. In addition, the seminar may have contributed to an increased preference for academic careers by graduating residents.