Preregistration

Preregistration: Teacher’s reasons for trust and mistrust in scientific evidence: Reflecting a ‘smart but evil’ stereotype?

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Rosman, Tom
Merk, Samuel

Abstract / Description

Several studies show that teachers tend to prefer experiential knowledge sources over scientific evidence (Cramer, 2012, 2013; Merk, Rosman, Rueß, Syring, & Schneider, 2017; Zeuch & Souvignier, 2016), making them more prone to believe in misconceptions, such as, for example, on the effects of grade retention on academic achievement. This is particularly worrying considering recent research which suggests that educational scientists might be seen as ‘smart but evil’. In fact, in two experimental studies, Merk and Rosman (2019) showed that teacher education students view educational researchers’ expertise as significantly higher than their integrity and benevolence – at least in contrast to their views on practitioners. The present research builds on this ‘smart but evil’ assumption and connects it with the question on why teachers trust or mistrust educational research. In line with the work by Merk and Rosman (2019), we will investigate three potential reasons for trust and mistrust in scientific sources (adapted from the 2018 Wissenschaftsbarometer): (1) the perceived competence of educational researchers (e.g., one might mistrust researchers due to a belief that they frequently make mistakes), (2) their perceived integrity (e.g., mistrust might be rooted in the belief that researchers are somehow biased), and (3) their perceived benevolence (e.g., one might believe that researchers are only interested in their careers). Since trust and mistrust are often seen as two different concepts (e.g., Saunders & Thornhill, 2004), these three potential reasons will be assessed twice – once with regard to trust and once with regard to mistrust. The present document specifies the confirmatory hypotheses, the study design, as well as the analysis plan of the research.
This is a preregistration of the article: Rosman, T., & Merk, S. (2021). Teacher’s Reasons for Trust and Distrust in Scientific Evidence: Reflecting a “Smart But Evil” Stereotype? AERA Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584211028599

Persistent Identifier

PsychArchives acquisition timestamp

2020-01-14 12:20:24 UTC

Publisher

PsychArchives

Citation

Rosman, T., & Merk, S. (2020, January 14). Preregistration: Teacher’s reasons for trust and mistrust in scientific evidence: Reflecting a ‘smart but evil’ stereotype? PsychArchives. https://doi.org/10.23668/PSYCHARCHIVES.2691
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Rosman, Tom
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Merk, Samuel
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2020-01-14T12:20:24Z
  • Made available on
    2020-01-14T12:20:24Z
  • Date of first publication
    2020-01-14
  • Abstract / Description
    Several studies show that teachers tend to prefer experiential knowledge sources over scientific evidence (Cramer, 2012, 2013; Merk, Rosman, Rueß, Syring, & Schneider, 2017; Zeuch & Souvignier, 2016), making them more prone to believe in misconceptions, such as, for example, on the effects of grade retention on academic achievement. This is particularly worrying considering recent research which suggests that educational scientists might be seen as ‘smart but evil’. In fact, in two experimental studies, Merk and Rosman (2019) showed that teacher education students view educational researchers’ expertise as significantly higher than their integrity and benevolence – at least in contrast to their views on practitioners. The present research builds on this ‘smart but evil’ assumption and connects it with the question on why teachers trust or mistrust educational research. In line with the work by Merk and Rosman (2019), we will investigate three potential reasons for trust and mistrust in scientific sources (adapted from the 2018 Wissenschaftsbarometer): (1) the perceived competence of educational researchers (e.g., one might mistrust researchers due to a belief that they frequently make mistakes), (2) their perceived integrity (e.g., mistrust might be rooted in the belief that researchers are somehow biased), and (3) their perceived benevolence (e.g., one might believe that researchers are only interested in their careers). Since trust and mistrust are often seen as two different concepts (e.g., Saunders & Thornhill, 2004), these three potential reasons will be assessed twice – once with regard to trust and once with regard to mistrust. The present document specifies the confirmatory hypotheses, the study design, as well as the analysis plan of the research.
    en
  • Abstract / Description
    This is a preregistration of the article: Rosman, T., & Merk, S. (2021). Teacher’s Reasons for Trust and Distrust in Scientific Evidence: Reflecting a “Smart But Evil” Stereotype? AERA Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584211028599
    en
  • Publication status
    other
    en
  • Citation
    Rosman, T., & Merk, S. (2020, January 14). Preregistration: Teacher’s reasons for trust and mistrust in scientific evidence: Reflecting a ‘smart but evil’ stereotype? PsychArchives. https://doi.org/10.23668/PSYCHARCHIVES.2691
    en
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/2305
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.2691
  • Language of content
    eng
  • Publisher
    PsychArchives
    en
  • Is related to
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.4891
  • Is related to
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.4892
  • Is related to
    https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584211028599
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    Preregistration: Teacher’s reasons for trust and mistrust in scientific evidence: Reflecting a ‘smart but evil’ stereotype?
    en
  • DRO type
    preregistration
    en
  • Leibniz institute name(s) / abbreviation(s)
    ZPID
  • Leibniz subject classification
    Psychologie
    ger
  • Leibniz subject classification
    Erziehung, Schul- und Bildungswesen
    de_DE
  • Visible tag(s)
    preregistration
    en