The Impact of Training in Research Data Management on Education Doctoral Students ALA Annual Conference 2017 Amanda Nichols Hess, nichols@oakland.edu Joanna Thielen, jthielen@oakland.edu Oakland University Libraries

Research data management (RDM) is... the compilation of small practices that make your data easier to find, easier to understand, less likely to be lost, and more likely to be usable during a project or ten years later. How can we help education doctoral students integrate these practices into their research? Joanna In Chapter 1: The Data Problem in Data Management for Researchers by Kristin Briney

Do research data management (RDM) interventions (workshops, training sessions, individual consultations, etc.) by academic librarians affect the RDM practices of doctoral students in education-focused programs? If so, how do these interventions affect how nascent researchers collect, organize, store, and manage their research data? Research questions Amanda

Methodology: Longitudinal qualitative case study Baseline Group recent Ph.D graduates (<12 months) Semi-structured interviews about RDM practices Intervention Group SEHS Ph.D students in Ed Leadership, Counseling, Reading, Early Childhood Provide workshops, in-class instruction, and 1:1 support Survey participants immediately following interactions Semi-structured interviews about RDM practices upon dissertation defense Average age: 42 Most are working, have families, and are returning to school after time away Topics include: data storage/security, data documentation, data management plans, file naming conventions Amanda Source: Oakland University Office of Institutional Research & Assessment  https://oakland.edu/oira

Results (so far): Baseline group n=5, 4 usable (one interviewee did not meet inclusion criteria) Commonalities: All recognized the importance of protecting confidential data All kept multiple copies of data Most did not see future uses for their data Differences: Varied formats of information in data collection and storage Only one interviewee had a specific file naming convention

Results (so far): Intervention group n=11*, including one from a faculty member who participated as part of her course Hard to find commonalities or differences in this small sample size Different sets of skills, knowledges, and intended research approaches color participants’ experiences Generally, all attendees found the instructional experiences useful in some way *represents survey responses, not unique survey respondents

Next Steps Baseline group Intervention group Sharing our work Continue interviews Intervention group Expand RDM instruction to all four education doctoral programs (Fall 2017) Follow up all interactions with survey Prepare for intervention group interviews - Winter 2018 at the earliest Sharing our work Article in process detailing our collaboration Additional, research-focused articles to follow footsteps by Grace Reeves from the Noun Project

Questions? Amanda Nichols Hess, nichols@oakland.edu Joanna Thielen, jthielen@oakland.edu Oakland University Libraries