Detecting and responding to imposter participants in online interview studies: Collaborative decision-making and solutions

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 3:45 pm - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Rethinking Qualitative Research in Virtual Spaces: Ethics, Inclusion, and Methodological Adaptation

Abstract

As we imagine new futures for educational research in the ever-changing AI and technological landscapes, we face unforeseen challenges as well as opportunities for innovation that arise from those challenges. In this paper, we demonstrate how encountering imposter participants in online qualitative interview research posed unforeseen issues, requiring the research team to engage in collaborative dialogues and decision making. In the process, we learned about the prevalence of imposters in educational research, ways of identifying them, and co-created an approach for addressing their presence. Providing analyses of audio and document data from our team’s process of dealing with imposters, we highlight ethical and methodological considerations other researchers may need to consider when designing online interview research.

Authors

• Audra Skukauskaite, University of Central Florida

• Stephanie Couch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Tamara Galoyan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology