Team science in CSD (Wood et al., 2021)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate engagement in collaborative research (team science) and perceptions of related knowledge and skills to inform personnel preparation and workforce development efforts.

Method: A questionnaire was used to solicit information about the team science–related experiences of 220 doctoral students, faculty, and research scientists in speech-pathology and audiology. Additionally, the questionnaire surveyed participants’ perceptions of readiness, benefits, and challenges to team science.

Results: Results demonstrated low percentages of respondents had received training in collaborative research (17%), and those with training were more likely to engage in cross-disciplinary collaborative research. Group differences were found with female researchers reporting lower psychological safety than male researchers. The most frequently cited advantages of team science included diverse perspectives, collective expertise, innovative ideas, and productivity. Conversely, common challenges included time constraints, finding collaborators, and differing expectations.

Implications: Because this study yielded group difference in psychological safety between groups that differed in gender and position, results suggest additional efforts may be necessary to ensure that imbalances in the power structure of members are not allowed to dissuade members from actively contributing to team activities. Additional training opportunities in team science could support the degree to which professionals in communication science and disorders engage in collaborative research.

Supplemental Material S1. Survey items on team science practices in speech-language pathology and audiology.

Wood, C., Romano, M., Strekalova, T. A. L., Lugo, V. A., & McCormack, W. T. (2021). State of the practice of team science in speech-language pathology and audiology. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00072