When Debunking Does Not Change Teaching

Introduction

Correcting a teachers belief is not the same as changing what happens in a classroom. Research on educational myths repeatedly finds that teachers can become less likely to endorse a misconception on a survey while continuing to use materials, routines or labels that were built around that misconception. In other words, belief change and practice change are related but separate processes. A successful debunking intervention may show that a myth has lost credibility in a teachers mind, yet the daily structures of schooling can keep the old idea alive. This practice gap is one of the most important limitations of myth-correction efforts in education.[Frontiers]frontiersin.orgterventions to Dispel Neuromyths in Educational Settings…by L Rousseau 2021 Cited by 74 Potential adverse effects of…

The issue matters because educational myths often become embedded in worksheets, intervention programmes, assessment forms, staff training materials and school language. Once this happens, removing the belief is only the first step. Changing the surrounding system is usually harder.[OECD]oecd.orgBridging the research-practice gap in education (ENBridging the research-practice gap in education (EN)May 11, 2025 by U Hartmann 2024 Cited by 30 RPPs can equip educators with…Published: May 11, 2025

What Correction Studies Measure

Most studies on educational myths focus on beliefs. Researchers typically ask teachers whether they agree with claims such as students learn best when taught in their preferred learning style before and after an intervention. Refutation texts, science-of-learning courses and similar approaches often reduce endorsement of these claims.[PMC]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govby MPG Lithander 2024 Cited by 3 Previous findings demonstrate that textual refutations are effective for correcting neuromyths…[ScienceDirect]sciencedirect.com. Prompting students to be open to belief…

However, a survey response is not a classroom observation. A teacher who now rejects learning styles may still inherit lesson plans organised by visual, auditory and kinaesthetic categories. A school may continue to collect learning style profiles because they are part of existing procedures. The teachers answer on a questionnaire can change much faster than the routines of an institution.[OECD]oecd.orgBridging the research-practice gap in education (ENBridging the research-practice gap in education (EN)May 11, 2025 by U Hartmann 2024 Cited by 30 RPPs can equip educators with…Published: May 11, 2025

This distinction appears in neuromyth research itself. Reviews of interventions report that belief reductions are possible, but they also note uncertainty about whether those changes reliably translate into altered instructional behaviour. Some studies have found improvements in knowledge and decreases in myth endorsement while leaving open the question of classroom implementation.[Frontiers]frontiersin.orgterventions to Dispel Neuromyths in Educational Settings…by L Rousseau 2021 Cited by 74 Potential adverse effects of…[PMC]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govby RA Ferreira 2022 Cited by 51 Overall, these results suggest that the SoL course significantly improved overall neuroscience l…

A further complication is that corrected information does not always fully replace prior thinking. Research on myth correction shows that erroneous ideas can continue to influence reasoning even after participants have accepted a correction. Someone may know that a claim is false while still falling back on it when making decisions under time pressure.[PMC]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govby S Dekker 2012 Cited by 1291 Results showed that on average, teachers believed 49% of the neuromyths, particularly myths relat…

Why Routines Can Preserve Myth-Based Practice

The main mechanism behind the practice gap is that teaching is not rebuilt from scratch each morning. It relies on habits, resources and organisational expectations that persist over time.

Existing materials create inertia

Many educational myths survive because they have generated a large ecosystem of resources. Learning-style questionnaires, differentiated worksheets, commercial programmes and training slides may already exist within a school. Replacing them requires effort, time and often money. Even when teachers stop believing the underlying claim, the materials remain available and familiar.[PMC]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govby AEJ Bowen 2025 Cited by 5 The purpose of integrating educational methods informed by research evidence into classroom setting…

This is especially relevant for neuromyths connected to commercial products. Research has long noted that myths frequently become attached to marketable educational programmes, increasing their visibility and durability.[PMC]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govby MPG Lithander 2024 Cited by 3 Previous findings demonstrate that textual refutations are effective for correcting neuromyths…

Habits are easier to repeat than redesign

Teaching involves hundreds of decisions each day. In practice, educators often rely on established routines rather than continually revisiting the evidence behind every action. A teacher who has organised lessons around a myth for years may continue using familiar structures because they fit existing planning systems, not because the teacher still strongly believes the myth.[OECD Education and Skills Today]oecdedutoday.combridging gap between policy practice educationOECD Education and Skills TodayBridging the gap between policy and practice in education10 Sept 2021 A teacher and an OECD education ex…

This helps explain why belief surveys can show improvement while classroom behaviour changes more slowly. The correction alters what teachers think, but habits continue to shape what teachers do.

School culture can outlast individual belief

Educational myths are often social rather than purely individual. A teacher may reject a misconception personally but work within a department that still uses the associated language. Labels such as visual learner, left-brain learner or other unsupported categories can persist because colleagues, school documents or leadership practices continue to employ them.[OECD Education and Skills Today]oecdedutoday.combridging gap between policy practice educationOECD Education and Skills TodayBridging the gap between policy and practice in education10 Sept 2021 A teacher and an OECD education ex…

In these cases, changing one teacher’s belief does little unless the wider environment changes as well. The problem shifts from individual cognition to organisational implementation.

Alternative practices may be unclear

Debunking removes an answer, but teachers still need a replacement. If educators are told not to use a myth-based approach but are not given practical alternatives, the old routine may remain attractive simply because it is actionable.[Frontiers]frontiersin.orgterventions to Dispel Neuromyths in Educational Settings…by L Rousseau 2021 Cited by 74 Potential adverse effects of…

For example, abandoning learning-style matching does not automatically tell a teacher how to plan lessons differently. Effective replacementssuch as retrieval practice, spacing, explicit instruction or content-appropriate representationsmust be translated into usable classroom procedures. Without that translation, correction can remain theoretical.[Department of Education]education.gov.auThe.Read moreDepartment of EducationEvidence-based teaching practices - Department of EducationDecember 4, 2023 This report provides a summary of th…Published: December 4, 2023

A Concrete Example: Learning Styles After Debunking

Learning styles provide a useful illustration because they are among the most studied educational myths. Numerous reviews have found little evidence that matching instruction to a student’s preferred sensory modality improves learning outcomes. Yet the idea remains widespread in education.[The Guardian]theguardian.comteachers neuromyth learning styles scientists neuroscience educationThe GuardianTeachers must ditch 'neuromyth' of learning styles, say…12 Mar 2017 Teaching children according to their individual lea…

Imagine a teacher who attends a science-of-learning course and accepts that learning styles lack evidential support. The belief has changed. Yet several features of the school may remain untouched:

The teacher may stop endorsing the myth intellectually while continuing to interact with systems built around it. The classroom therefore changes only partially, or not at all. This is precisely why reductions in belief should not be assumed to indicate reductions in myth-based practice. PMC[Frontiers]frontiersin.orgterventions to Dispel Neuromyths in Educational Settings…by L Rousseau 2021 Cited by 74 Potential adverse effects of…

How Implementation Support Closes the Gap

Evidence from professional development and implementation research suggests that lasting classroom change requires more than information transfer. Training is most likely to influence practice when it is accompanied by structures that help teachers apply, refine and sustain new approaches.[OUP Academic]academic.oup.comOUP AcademicTeacher Professional Development around the World: The…by A Popova 2022 Cited by 662 This paper proposes a set of in…

Several supports are particularly relevant:

Replacing materials, not just beliefs. Schools need to audit worksheets, intervention programmes, assessment tools and training resources that still embed myth-based assumptions. If the artefacts remain unchanged, old practices are likely to persist.[OECD]oecd.orgBridging the research-practice gap in education (ENBridging the research-practice gap in education (EN)May 11, 2025 by U Hartmann 2024 Cited by 30 RPPs can equip educators with…Published: May 11, 2025

Providing practical alternatives. Teachers are more likely to abandon a myth when they receive a credible replacement strategy that can be used immediately in planning and instruction.[Frontiers]frontiersin.orgterventions to Dispel Neuromyths in Educational Settings…by L Rousseau 2021 Cited by 74 Potential adverse effects of…

Using coaching and follow-up support. Professional development literature consistently finds that one-off workshops are weaker than approaches that include continued support, feedback and opportunities to refine implementation.[OUP Academic]academic.oup.comOUP AcademicTeacher Professional Development around the World: The…by A Popova 2022 Cited by 662 This paper proposes a set of in…

Changing collective routines. School-wide language, templates and expectations often need revision. A myth embedded in organisational practice cannot be removed solely through individual persuasion.[OECD Education and Skills Today]oecdedutoday.combridging gap between policy practice educationOECD Education and Skills TodayBridging the gap between policy and practice in education10 Sept 2021 A teacher and an OECD education ex…

The Key Critique of Debunking Success Claims

A common mistake is to treat reduced agreement with a myth as evidence that the educational problem has been solved. Belief measures are valuable because they reveal whether teachers have accepted a correction. But they are only one indicator of success. Classroom routines, resource use, planning habits and student experiences may tell a different story.[Frontiers]frontiersin.orgterventions to Dispel Neuromyths in Educational Settings…by L Rousseau 2021 Cited by 74 Potential adverse effects of…

For that reason, the strongest evaluation of myth-correction efforts should ask two questions rather than one. First, did teachers stop believing the myth? Second, did teaching practices, materials and school routines change accordingly? The gap between those questions is where many educational misconceptions continue to survive, even after they have been successfully debunked.[OECD]oecd.orgBridging the research-practice gap in education (ENBridging the research-practice gap in education (EN)May 11, 2025 by U Hartmann 2024 Cited by 30 RPPs can equip educators with…Published: May 11, 2025

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Endnotes

1. Source: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Link:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11508907/

2. Source: oecd.org
Title: Bridging the research-practice gap in education (EN)
Link:https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2024/07/bridging-the-research-practice-gap-in-education_2b6c087b/c0d3f781-en.pdf

Published: May 11, 2025

3. Source: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Link:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9312647/

4. Source: sciencedirect.com
Link:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0361476X24000146

5. Source: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Link:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3475349/

6. Source: academic.oup.com
Link:https://academic.oup.com/wbro/article/37/1/107/6292021

7. Source: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Link:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12630716/

8. Source: sciencedirect.com
Link:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211949324000024

9. Source: sciencedirect.com
Link:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2211949325000183

10. Source: frontiersin.org
Link:https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.719692/full

11. Source: oecdedutoday.com
Title: bridging gap between policy practice education
Link:https://oecdedutoday.com/bridging-gap-between-policy-practice-education/

12. Source: frontiersin.org
Link:https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.591923/full

13. Source: education.gov.au
Title: The.Read more
Link:https://www.education.gov.au/download/17488/aero-evidence-based-teaching-practices/35503/document/pdf

Published: December 4, 2023

14. Source: theguardian.com
Title: teachers neuromyth learning styles scientists neuroscience education
Link:https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/mar/13/teachers-neuromyth-learning-styles-scientists-neuroscience-education

15. Source: frontiersin.org
Link:https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1407518/full

16. Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/384533127_The_Effect_of_Correcting_Neuromyths_on_Students%27_and_Teachers%27_Later_Reasoning

Additional References

17. Source: unicef.org
Link:https://www.unicef.org/innocenti/media/10286/file/UNICEF-Innocenti-Bridging-Policy-Practice-Gaps-Education-in-Africa-December-2024.pdf

18. Source: papers.ssrn.com
Link:https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/2f1bc73e-d86a-46f1-b30a-c86eca93438b-MECA.pdf?abstractid=4975128&mirid=1

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Link:https://my.chartered.college/impact_article/teachers-understanding-of-neuromyths-a-role-for-educational-neuroscience-in-teacher-training/

20. Source: wtgrantfoundation.org
Link:https://wtgrantfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Ming_WTG-Digest-8.pdf

21. Source: my.chartered.college
Title: neuromyths about special educational needs what should teachers know
Link:https://my.chartered.college/impact_article/neuromyths-about-special-educational-needs-what-should-teachers-know/

22. Source: niot.org.uk
Title: neuromyths in the classroom and the role of critical thinking
Link:https://niot.org.uk/insights/neuromyths-in-the-classroom-and-the-role-of-critical-thinking

23. Source: cis.org.au
Title: knowledge is power what do teachers believe about learning
Link:https://www.cis.org.au/publication/knowledge-is-power-what-do-teachers-believe-about-learning/

24. Source: d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net
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25. Source: research.vu.nl
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26. Source: lthechat.com
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