STORM: Study of Open Research Methods in Undergraduate Psychology Students

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Abstract
The open research movement reflects an ongoing research culture change that aims to tackle issues of research replicability, reduce the use of questionable research practices, and improve the quality of research. We argue that a cornerstone of changing research culture in the psychological sciences and increasing the use and implementation of open research practices is through the training and development of junior researchers, i.e., undergraduate/bachelor students. In this paper, we present findings from the Study of Open Research Methods (STORM), which investigated understanding (contextual and situational perceptions, awareness, and experience) of the replication crisis and open research in undergraduate psychology students in the UK for the first time. Cross-sectional data were collected over three waves (2020-2022) with a total of 2,063 student responses. Our findings provide benchmarks of psychology student understanding of the replication crisis and open research across the UK. The most consistent predictor was students’ year of study, reflecting increasing open research knowledge and experience over the course of their psychology programmes. In Wave 1, this predictor showed evidence of an effect only for universities with a local UKRN lead, whilst in Wave 2 evidence of an effect was present for the other universities on some of the outcome measures. Our exploratory findings reflect a likely increase in open research teaching between 2020 and 2022 in universities with a local UKRN lead. This paper highlights areas for student improvement in open research understanding and teaching gaps in undergraduate research methods training.