Confirming what we know: Understanding questionable research practices in intro physics labs

TL;DR

This study investigates the prevalence of questionable research practices among students in introductory physics labs, revealing that many engage in such practices, often due to verification-focused instruction, and suggests improvements for fostering responsible scientific conduct.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence of questionable research practices in physics labs and highlights the influence of verification goals on student behavior, proposing strategies for more authentic scientific engagement.

Findings

30% of student groups recorded questionable practices

Practices linked to confirmatory goals and verification focus

Recommendations for improving research integrity in labs

Abstract

Many institutions are changing the focus of their introductory physics labs from verifying physics content towards teaching students about the skills and nature of science. As instruction shifts, so too will the ways students approach and behave in the labs. In this study, we evaluated students' lab notes from an early activity in an experimentation-focused lab course. We found that about 30% of student groups (out of 107 groups at three institutions) recorded questionable research practices in their lab notes, such as subjective interpretations of results or manipulating equipment and data. The large majority of these practices were associated with confirmatory goals, which we suspect stem from students' prior exposure to verification labs. We propose ways for experimentation-focused labs to better engage students in the responsible conduct of research and authentic scientific practice.