Between 2024 to 2026 the ADVANCEing FieldSafety team worked with field teams to participate in our research study on the effectiveness of the AFS training and workshops. Research is still underway, but results will be shared when we have them.
Motivation:
Effective field safety and anti-harassment training and tools to design welcoming field campaigns that include risk assessments are not widely available. To date, little research has been conducted on the effectiveness of such training. To this end, ADVANCEing FieldSafety will be conducting research on the effectiveness of our training program and evaluating the course and toolkit content.
Research Plan:
We will be working directly with entire teams of field scientists, who have participated in the ADVANCEing FieldSafety training program, to see how the training program affects field culture.
We will address the following research questions:
- How does exposure to field safety training that includes risk analysis, bystander intervention, collaborative leadership techniques, and skills to respond to unhelpful behaviours affect training participants' attitudes, knowledge, skills, and behaviours?
- How does the behaviour of participants who have taken the ADVANCEing FieldSafety training change following the training program in reference to addressing field safety, team culture, and anti-harassment practices?
- What contextual factors influence the effectiveness of the ADVANCEing FieldSafety training?
- What ways and to what degree do ADVANCEing FieldSafety practices affect field team members' feelings of support and safety during fieldwork?
We will track the learning process of field research teams from pre-MOOC to post field campaign by conducting surveys, interviews, and focus groups; evaluating the training program resources; and through direct observation and workshop sessions. This information will help inform the research questions and the effectiveness of the ADVANCEing FieldSafety training program.