Sharing successes and hiding failures: ‘reporting bias’ in learning and teaching research
本文指出高等教育学习与教学研究中存在报告偏倚，即研究者选择性报告显著正向结果而忽略不显著或负向结果，导致文献偏向。分析了该领域易受报告偏倚影响的因素，并为研究者、期刊、资助方等提供减少偏倚的建议。
When researchers selectively report significant positive results, and omit non-significant or negative results, the published literature skews in a particular direction. This is called ‘reporting bias’, and it can cause both casual readers and meta-analysts to develop an inaccurate understanding of the efficacy of an intervention. This paper identifies potential reporting bias in a recent high-profile higher education meta-analysis. It then examines a range of potential factors that may make higher education learning and teaching research particularly susceptible to reporting bias. These include the fuzzy boundaries between learning and teaching research, scholarship and teaching; the positive agendas of ‘learning and teaching’ funding bodies; methodological issues; and para-academic researchers in roles without tenure or academic freedom. Recommendations are provided for how researchers, journals, funders, ethics committees and universities can reduce reporting bias.