How to communicate evidence to teachers: Comparing the effects of verbal and visual effect size representation

• In Event: From Evidence to Action: Bridging Research and Practice in Educational Decision-Making (Research Use SIG Paper Session)

Abstract

Teachers are encouraged to use educational research to improve their instructional
quality. However, little is known about how evidence should be communicated to
teachers to support them in making valid inferences when evaluating research findings,
in particular effect sizes. To address this gap, we conducted an experimental study with
N = 118 English-speaking teachers on Prolific. We communicated effect sizes verbally
(as Cohen’s U3 statements) and visually (as half-eye plots). Our results indicate that
there is a trade-off between the two presentation modes: (1) teachers estimated half-eye
plots more accurately, yet (2) they perceived Cohen’s U3 statements as more informative
and easier to understand. Our results suggest each mode has distinct advantages, which
can be leveraged in science communication.

Authors

• Florian Felix Alfons Kühlwein, Karlsruhe University of Education

• Samuel Merk, Karlsruhe University of Education

• Jürgen Schneider, DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education

• Kirstin Schmidt, Karlsruhe University of Education