Education researchers’ beliefs and barriers towards data sharing | Quality & Quantity

Abstract:  Data sharing is increasingly becoming a highly encouraged or required practice for any federally funded research projects. However, the uptake of these practices in education science has been minimal. Research suggests that many researchers believe data sharing should be practiced always or often, but also suggests that many researchers rarely practice data sharing. This disconnect indicates a general lack of understanding around data sharing and suggests there are salient barriers that prevent education researchers from engaging in the practice. This work examines (a) the prevalence of positive attitudes and perceived barriers to data sharing in a sample of education researchers, and (b) if there is a difference between the perceived barriers for researchers who have different levels of data sharing experience. Results suggest education researchers generally hold positive attitudes towards data sharing, with 70% of the sample agreeing that it benefits their career, increases citations, and is good for science. However, barriers such as concerns about IRB issues and the potential for misinterpretation of shared data were prevalent among respondents. Additionally, researchers with more experience sharing data were less likely to agree with these barriers compared to those with less or no sharing experience.