Enhancing Methodological Transparency and Rigor in Qualitative English Language Teaching Research through Open Science Practices: A Quasi-Experimental Study in Saudi Universities

Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on New Trends in Teaching and Education

Year: 2026

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Enhancing Methodological Transparency and Rigor in Qualitative English Language Teaching Research through Open Science Practices: A Quasi-Experimental Study in Saudi Universities

Hayam Mohamed Salama EIssa

ABSTRACT:

Open Science’ aims to make research transparent and provide easy access to high-quality content. The present study addresses the lack of explicit strategies to enhance methodological rigor in qualitative English Language Teaching (ELT) research in the Saudi context. This study evaluates the impact of a structured training intervention on the implementation of open science principles, with a particular focus on the potential of preregistration and open analytical practices (utilizing
NVivo audit trails) to enhance the credibility and reliability of qualitative research.
The study employs a quasi-experimental, one-group, pretest/posttest design to evaluate participants’ acquisition and application of the underlying theory prior to and following a designated interval. The paper argues that embedding open science practices will lead to a more robust, transparent, and enriched scientific process. The results of the research will contribute to filling this gap and assist in building on the work of other researchers, thereby opening up the possibility of exploring how open
science can be applied to ESL research in the context of environmental issues in the Arab world, specifically Saudi Arabia. This study will serve as a repository where researchers can post their work after shifting toward pre-registration, transparency, and clear research questions. It will also foster collaboration between research groups from different universities so that researchers can agree on reproducibility and ensure that data and preprints are accessible to all.

Keywords: Digital Tools, English Language Teaching, Methodological Transparency, NVivo, Open Science, Preregistration, Preprint, Reproducibility, Qualitative Research, Qualitative Audit Trail, Research Rigor, Saudi Arabia