What do you mean by “evidence”? – An interview study on how university teachers perceive the term “evidence”

In the past, “evidence” was established as a guiding concept and goal in academic teaching and research about higher education. This has led to a debate about the understanding of the term “evidence” in higher education – but this debate has largely ignored academic teachers’ interpretations of the term. The present interview study explores whether higher education teachers have different cultural understandings of the term “evidence”, and if so, how scientific discourse can take into account the interpretations of teachers, who deal extensively with evidence-based higher education research. The results revealed differences in discipline cultures, which are based on prevailing research traditions.