A context-consent meta-framework for designing open (qualitative) data studies

ABSTRACT

To date, open science, particularly open data, in psychology has focused on quantitative research. This article aims to explore ethical and practical issues encountered by UK-based psychologists utilising open qualitative datasets. Semi-structured telephone interviews with eight qualitative psychologists were explored using a framework analysis. From the findings, we offer a context-consent meta-framework as a resource to help in the design of studies sharing their data and/or studies using open data. We recommend secondary studies conduct archaeologies of context and consent to examine if the data available are suitable for their research questions. This research is the first we know of in the study of “doing” (or not doing) open science, which could be repeated to develop a longitudinal picture or complemented with additional approaches, such as observational studies of how context and consent are negotiated in preregistered studies and open data.

KEYWORDS:

• open science
• open data
• qualitative methods
• replicability debate
• archeology

Notes

¹ See https://www1.bps.org.uk/what-we-do/bps/governance/boards-and-committees/research-board/research-board-resources/replicability-and-reproducibility-debate/replicability-and-reproducibility-debate and https://www.bps.org.uk/news-and-policy/moving-psychological-science-forward-videos-replication-event-now-online

² doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/Y9VSR

³ See https://esrc.ukri.org/research/our-research/secondary-data-analysis-initiative/

⁴ Note that this participant agreed that summaries of the interview could be used and not verbatim quotes.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Peter Branney

Peter Branney A Social Psychologist at the University of Bradford, Peter Branney has undertaken a programme of award winning, internationally leading work exploring how men and women engage with healthcare, how they experience threats to their health, and how to improve their experience of healthcare. At present, he is chairing the open science working group for the Qualitative Methods in Psychology section of the British Psychological Society.

Kate Reid

Kate Reid is a Health Psychologist and Lecturer in Psychology at The University of Glasgow. Kate uses a variety of qualitative techniques and innovations in the field such as photo-elicitation, to help enable participants to document complex narratives associated with lived experiences. These lived experiences range from adjusting to chronic illness, resilience in older age, lifelong learning, and post-graduate adjustment to studying abroad.

Nollaig Frost

Nollaig Frost works as an Independent Academic who is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Applied Psychology at University College Cork, Ireland a Visiting Researcher at the Childhood Abuse and Trauma Centre, Middlesex University, and a Visiting Lecturer at the Department of Psychology, City University. Her primary areas of interest are in second-time motherhood, effects of trauma over the lifespan, and pluralistic qualitative research methodology.

Susan Coan

Susan Coan is a qualitative researcher in Health Promotion/Public Health at Leeds Beckett University with a particular interest in developing creative data collection methods.

Her main research focus is on reducing health inequalities.

Amy Mathieson

Amy Mathieson is a Research Associate at the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.She completed her PhD in Nursing at the University of Manchester in 2019.Her primary area of interests are implementation of evidence-based practice, patient and family carer support, primary health care, and qualitative methods.

Maxine Woolhouse

Maxine Woolhouse is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Leeds Beckett University (UK). Her research and teaching focuses mainly on critical social and health psychology and qualitative research methods. In particular, Maxine is interested in discursive approaches to understanding how gender and social class intersect to shape and inform food and eating-related activities and body management practices, especially in the context of family life.