Data sharing model for physics education research using the 70 000 response Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics dataset

Abstract

We present a model for sharing quantitative data in the field of physics education research and use it to present a newly available dataset as an example. This model is in line with calls from across physics and science more generally to democratize data and results through open access. The model includes suggestions for data collection, creation of a data schema, and data sharing. It attends to the specific needs of the physics education research community, such as anonymization of human subjects data. As an example of this model, we use the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics (E-CLASS) dataset, which includes over 70 000 responses to the E-CLASS survey. These data cover 133 institutions, 599 unique courses, and 204 instructors, and was collected between 2016 and 2019. These data are made available at the time of publication and can be used freely, without the need of any institutional review board approval.