[ASpring]

To me it looks more like due diligence. If you present only the main result every single reviewer will ask "Well couldn't the instructor's gender/ethnicity/tenure/experience explain this result?" Then you're forced to include this analysis either way.

[foota]

That's true. We can't know which came first though, I think the proposed solution to this is pre recording of methodology and hypothesis.

Honestly, I'm inclined to believe this study was done ethically, but I wanted to point out the possibility.

[cortesoft]

Right, but I don’t think them saying they examined the other variables makes it more or less likely they were p-hacking.