Developing and validating the competency profile for teaching and learning research integrity

Selan, Jurij (author), Metljak, Mira (author)

Since research integrity is not external to research but an integral part of it, it should be integrated into research training. However, several hindrances regarding contemporary research integrity education exist. To address them, we have developed a competency profile for teaching and learning research integrity based on four assumptions: 1) to include all levels of study (BA, MA, and PhD); 2) to integrate research integrity into research education itself; 3) to address research integrity issues in context-specific practices; and 4) to pay particular attention to the ‘grey zone’ or questionable research practices. To assess the validity of the content of the competency profile and to determine if some adjustments to the profile are needed, we translated the competencies of the profile into items of a measurement instrument (a questionnaire) and conducted a survey amongst University of Ljubljana students that allowed us to 1) obtain information about students’ attitudes toward issues of integrity in research; 2) analyse differences in these attitudes among BA, MA, and PhD students; and 3) statistically validate the competency profile and suggest possible improvements. The results showed that 1) students are highly aware of research integrity issues, as scores were high on all items assessed. However, there were some deviations to lower scores, especially in relation to questionable research practises, confirming our assumption that the ‘grey zone’ issues are those that should be particularly addressed and given special attention in contemporary research integrity education. 2) The differences in the attitudes of BA, MA, and PhD students showed that higher-level students showed significantly more awareness of integrity issues than lower-level students did, suggesting that research integrity issues should be given special attention at the BA study level. 3) The measurement characteristics showed that the reliability of the questionnaire was very high, suggesting a good overall structure of the competency profile. The principal component analysis also confirmed the four-field structure of the Competency profile (Values and Principles, Research Practise, Publication and Dissemination, and Violations). However, the analysis also showed that the substructure of the four main areas of the profile did not fully match the results of the factor analysis, suggesting that the distribution of competencies in the competency profile could be reconsidered, especially in the area of Research Practice. The most recent developments in the field of research integrity also suggest that the competency profile should be updated with issues regarding the impact of artificial intelligence on research integrity.

• Language: English
• Keywords: competency profile, research integrity, responsible conduct of research, factor analysis, aritificial intelligence
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: Str. 33-74
• Numbering: Vol. 13, no. 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-151857
• UDC: 37.01:001.891
• ISSN on article: 1855-9719
• DOI: 10.26529/cepsj.1618
• COBISS.SI-ID: 167246083

Copyright

Podatek o licenci CC BY 4.0 je naveden na pristajalni strani članka (glej zgoraj izvorni URL). (Datum opombe: 17. 9. 2025)

• Publication date in RUL: 23.10.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: CEPS journal : Center for Educational Policy Studies journal = revija Centra za študij edukacijskih strategij
• Publisher: Založba Univerze v Ljubljani = University of Ljubljana Press
• ISSN: 1855-9719
• COBISS.SI-ID: 252707584

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Razvoj in validacija kompetenčnega profila za poučevanje in učenje raziskovalne integritete

Abstract

Ker raziskovalna integriteta ni nekaj ločenega od raziskovanja, ampak njen sestavni del, jo je treba vključiti v usposabljanje na področju raziskovanja. Obstaja pa več ovir v povezavi s sodobnim izobraževanjem o raziskovalni integriteti. Da bi jih odpravili, smo razvili kompetenčni profil za poučevanje in učenje raziskovalne integritete, ki temelji na štirih predpostavkah: 1) vključiti vse stopnje študija (dodiplomski, magistrski in doktorski študij); 2) vključiti raziskovalno integriteto v raziskovanje; 3) obravnavati vprašanja raziskovalne integritete v kontekstualno specifičnih praksah; 4) posebno pozornost nameniti »sivi coni« ali spornim raziskovalnim praksam. Da bi ocenili veljavnost vsebine kompetenčnega profila in ugotovili, ali so potrebne njegove prilagoditve, smo kompetence v profilu prevedli v postavke merilnega instrumenta (vprašalnika) in izvedli raziskavo med študenti Univerze v Ljubljani. Raziskava nam je omogočila naslednje: 1) pridobiti informacije o odnosu študentov do vprašanj raziskovalne integritete; 2) analizirati razlike v tem odnosu med študenti dodiplomskega, magistrskega in doktorskega študija; 3) statistično potrditi kompetenčni profil in predlagati morebitne izboljšave. Rezultati so pokazali naslednje: 1) študentje se zelo dobro zavedajo vprašanj raziskovalne integritete, saj so pri vseh ocenjenih postavkah dosegli visoke rezultate. Kljub temu je bilo nekaj odstopanj pri nižjih ocenah, zlasti v povezavi z vprašljivimi raziskovalnimi praksami, kar potrjuje našo domnevo, da so vprašanja »sive cone« tista, ki jih je treba v sodobnem izobraževanju o raziskovalni integriteti še posebej obravnavati in jim nameniti posebno pozornost; 2) razlike v stališčih študentov dodiplomskega, magistrskega in doktorskega študija so pokazale, da so se študentje višje stopnje bistveno bolj zavedali vprašanj integritete kot študentje nižje stopnje, kar nakazuje, da bi bilo treba vprašanjem raziskovalne integritete nameniti posebno pozornost že na ravni dodiplomskega študija; 3) merske značilnosti so pokazale, da je bila zanesljivost vprašalnika zelo visoka, kar kaže na dobro splošno strukturo kompetenčnega profila. Tudi analiza glavnih komponent je potrdila strukturo kompetenčnega profila (vrednote in načela, raziskovalna praksa, objava in razširjanje ter kršitve). Analiza pa je pokazala tudi, da se podstruktura štirih glavnih področij profila ni povsem ujemala z rezultati faktorske analize, kar kaže, da bi bilo treba ponovno razmisliti o razporeditvi kompetenc v kompetenčnem profilu, zlasti na področju raziskovalne prakse. Nedavni razvoj na področju raziskovalne integritete prav tako kaže, da bi bilo treba kompetenčni profil posodobiti z vprašanji glede vpliva umetne inteligence na raziskovalno integriteto.

• Keywords: pedagoško raziskovanje, raziskovalna integriteta, kompetence, umetna inteligenca, kompetenčni profil