Promoting positive beliefs toward research evidence: results from a utility-value intervention study with pre-service teachers

Pre-service teachers often question the relevance of educational evidence for professional practice. Yet, according to expectancy-value theory, the extent to which pre-service teachers consider educational evidence relevant for their teaching practice (i.e., utility-value) is a critical variable in...

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Main Authors: Maximilian Knogler, Ricardo Böheim, Annika Diery, Judith Harackiewicz, Tina Seidel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1391931/full
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author Maximilian Knogler
Ricardo Böheim
Annika Diery
Judith Harackiewicz
Tina Seidel
author_facet Maximilian Knogler
Ricardo Böheim
Annika Diery
Judith Harackiewicz
Tina Seidel
author_sort Maximilian Knogler
collection DOAJ
description Pre-service teachers often question the relevance of educational evidence for professional practice. Yet, according to expectancy-value theory, the extent to which pre-service teachers consider educational evidence relevant for their teaching practice (i.e., utility-value) is a critical variable in promoting evidence-based practice in education. To further promote utility-value of research evidence among pre-service teachers, the present study investigated the added value of a brief and easy-to-implement intervention that stimulates students to reflect on the utility-value of research evidence. The sample consisted of 3rd semester pre-service teachers (N = 61) enrolled in a semester-long course on effective teaching who were randomly assigned to two conditions. In the first condition (default course design), teacher educators used two typically applied strategies for promoting utility-value, i.e., direct communication of utility-value and application tasks, in which students can discover utility-value. In the second condition (enhanced course design), students were additionally stimulated to reflect on the utility-value in two written assignments. Their value perceptions and related variables were measured at the beginning, during and at the end of the semester. Although a mixed model MANOVA did not yield a statistically significant group-by-time interaction effect, follow-up t-tests revealed a substantial and significant increase in students value perceptions in the enhanced course design, but not in the default course design. Overall, this study offers some limited support for the additional value of reflective writing assignments for fostering pre-service teachers' positive beliefs toward research evidence in education.
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spelling doaj-art-c7d2ca1215f541029bdd608ed8bf8a262025-08-20T04:02:12ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-08-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.13919311391931Promoting positive beliefs toward research evidence: results from a utility-value intervention study with pre-service teachersMaximilian Knogler0Ricardo Böheim1Annika Diery2Judith Harackiewicz3Tina Seidel4School of Social Sciences and Technology, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, GermanySchool of Social Sciences and Technology, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, GermanySchool of Social Sciences and Technology, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, GermanyDepartment of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United StatesSchool of Social Sciences and Technology, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, GermanyPre-service teachers often question the relevance of educational evidence for professional practice. Yet, according to expectancy-value theory, the extent to which pre-service teachers consider educational evidence relevant for their teaching practice (i.e., utility-value) is a critical variable in promoting evidence-based practice in education. To further promote utility-value of research evidence among pre-service teachers, the present study investigated the added value of a brief and easy-to-implement intervention that stimulates students to reflect on the utility-value of research evidence. The sample consisted of 3rd semester pre-service teachers (N = 61) enrolled in a semester-long course on effective teaching who were randomly assigned to two conditions. In the first condition (default course design), teacher educators used two typically applied strategies for promoting utility-value, i.e., direct communication of utility-value and application tasks, in which students can discover utility-value. In the second condition (enhanced course design), students were additionally stimulated to reflect on the utility-value in two written assignments. Their value perceptions and related variables were measured at the beginning, during and at the end of the semester. Although a mixed model MANOVA did not yield a statistically significant group-by-time interaction effect, follow-up t-tests revealed a substantial and significant increase in students value perceptions in the enhanced course design, but not in the default course design. Overall, this study offers some limited support for the additional value of reflective writing assignments for fostering pre-service teachers' positive beliefs toward research evidence in education.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1391931/fullutility-valueteacher educationevidence-based practicepre-service teachersintervention
spellingShingle Maximilian Knogler
Ricardo Böheim
Annika Diery
Judith Harackiewicz
Tina Seidel
Promoting positive beliefs toward research evidence: results from a utility-value intervention study with pre-service teachers
Frontiers in Psychology
utility-value
teacher education
evidence-based practice
pre-service teachers
intervention
title Promoting positive beliefs toward research evidence: results from a utility-value intervention study with pre-service teachers
title_full Promoting positive beliefs toward research evidence: results from a utility-value intervention study with pre-service teachers
title_fullStr Promoting positive beliefs toward research evidence: results from a utility-value intervention study with pre-service teachers
title_full_unstemmed Promoting positive beliefs toward research evidence: results from a utility-value intervention study with pre-service teachers
title_short Promoting positive beliefs toward research evidence: results from a utility-value intervention study with pre-service teachers
title_sort promoting positive beliefs toward research evidence results from a utility value intervention study with pre service teachers
topic utility-value
teacher education
evidence-based practice
pre-service teachers
intervention
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1391931/full
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