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The Evaluation Gap in Astronomy -- Explained through a Rational Choice Framework by Heuritsch, Julia is a scholarly article available to read on EtoBox.

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The concept of evaluation gaps captures potential discrepancies between what researchers value about their research, in particular research quality, and what metrics measure. The existence of evaluation gaps can give rise to questions about the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to perform research, i.e. how field-specific notions of quality compete with notions captured via evaluation metrics, and consequently how researchers manage the balancing act between intrinsic values and requirements of evaluation procedures. This study analyses the evaluation gap from a rational choice point of view for the case of observational astronomers, based on a literature review and 19 semi-structured interviews with international astronomers. By taking a close look at the role of institutional norms and different forms of capital - such as funding, publication rates and granted telescope time - at play in astronomy, light can be shed on the workings of the balance act and its consequences on research quality in astronomy. We find that astronomers experience an anomie; they want to follow their intrinsic motivation to pursue science in order to push knowledge forward, while a

Author

Heuritsch, Julia

Published

2021

Language

EN