Scholarship Of Teaching Research Articles

“So That I May Hope to Honor You”: Centering Wholeness, Agency, and Brilliance in Qualitative Research With Multiply Marginalized Young Children

Scholars of early childhood education have urged qualitative researchers to adapt their methods for use with young children. However, unjust social imaginations of childhood (e.g., who is considered a “child”) play out in qualitative research, particularly for young children who are made most vulnerable by intersecting oppressions (e.g., racism, linguicism, ableism). Extending Morrison’s metaphor of “the white gaze,” we argue that qualitative research is often framed through an “adult gaze,” which presumes children’s worth in terms of who they will ultimately become and differentially imagines who is considered a child in the present. Informed by theoretical understandings from the fields of critical childhood studies and early literacy studies, we consider how qualitative researchers might disrupt the adult gaze and honor multiply marginalized children by centering their wholeness, orienting toward their agency, and creating space for their brilliance.

Do universities support solutions-oriented collaborative research? Constraints to wicked problems scholarship in higher education

Questions abound over how universities should teach and prepare the next generation of researchers to confront current and future wicked problems. With so much focus on curriculum and training, it is crucial that we step back and reflect on higher education’s capabilities to foster solution-oriented, collaborative research. What do the institutional incentive structures in higher education support, in terms of practices and outputs related to scholarship? And are those structures felt evenly across the academy? Those doing research in these spaces—in terms of title, autonomy, power, privilege, and status—vary widely by their institutional locations as well as in terms of their ties to broader disciplinary norms. To assess whether these dynamic, contested institutional landscapes afford so-called wicked problem scholarship, this paper draws from survey and interview data collected from 44 researchers working at the nexus of food, energy, and water systems at Carnegie Research 1 universities in the United States. Findings point to an uneven institutional landscape, which is shown to shape in different ways the type of solutions-oriented, collaborative scholarship fostered across the five positions examined. The paper concludes by reflecting on the paper’s findings, particularly in terms of what the data tell us about higher education as a place that fosters wicked problems scholarship, while also highlighting the study’s limitations.

Collaborative self-study in higher education: lessons from redesigning school placement during the pandemic

ABSTRACT This paper explores how a collaborative self-study of teacher educators in the Republic of Ireland supported pre-service and practising teachers on teacher education programmes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teacher educators engaged in student feedback meetings conducted online as a replacement to traditional in-school visits, some of which were supported by observation of lesson recordings viewed prior to the sessions. Teacher educators engaged in critical reflection on these feedback meetings individually, guided by a critical incident template, before reflecting collaboratively with colleagues. The redesign of online placement encouraged interrogation of practices among teacher educators and led them to a greater understanding of their practice. Actions that enhanced student learning in relation to placement included adopting a student partnership approach, peer teaching using asynchronous lessons, lesson recordings and adjusting the timing of feedback. This study falls into the broader Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and adds to the body of research exploring the innovative responses and adaptations of teacher education programmes worldwide to school and Higher Education Institution closures during the pandemic. More specifically, this study offers alternative approaches to on-site school placement.

Improving the Student Laboratory Experience Through Constructive Alignment

Undergraduate engineering laboratories are supposed to reinforce lecture learning and demonstrate industrial applications with practical experiments. However, nearly half of students in a mandatory University of Calgary third-year materials science course in the past decade have reported on their end-of-semester surveys that they do not perceive these connections, indicating a need to improve the student perception of the laboratory learning experience. The research question is, how can established educational scholarship improve the student learning experience in undergraduate engineering laboratories? Critically reflective surveys were released to students in the third-year course, analyzing the learning experience in laboratories. Trends in response themes show a perceived lack of alignment between laboratory activities, learning outcomes, and assessments. It is therefore recommended that learning outcomes implement testable verb phrases, that the laboratory activities and assessments be oriented with these learning outcomes, and that this orientation be explicitly and consistently communicated to students.

Moving forward with intentionality: The scholarship of teaching, learning, and practice

AbstractMcCloud offers guidance on fostering a culture of intentionality within the scholarship of teaching, learning, and practice highlighting the role of collaborative partnerships, ongoing assessment, and professional development in advancing this critical agenda.

Considering leadership pedagogy in creative arts education

PurposeIn the following theoretical article, the author generates a theory of Leadership Pedagogy and its connection to Creative Arts Education.Design/methodology/approachThe article analyzes Leadership Theory across three pillars: Socio-relational, Cognitive and Creative, and how these areas underscore thoughtful and caring pedagogy and inclusive teaching in undergraduate education.FindingsDrawing on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), the article advocates for a flexible, multifaceted approach to curricular design rooted in theoretical pluralism, prioritizing interdisciplinary methods to bridge theory and practice in Creative Arts Education.Originality/valueThe article concludes with implications for future research and collaboration connecting Leadership Studies and the Arts.

Exploring the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) landscape of academia: SoTL‐centric culture elements in institutions of faculty members who publish in SoTL‐focused journals

AbstractThis chapter describes the results of a survey‐based study intended to provide insight into the existence and degree of empirical support for the elements of strong teaching cultures in colleges and universities where faculty members participate in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). The findings contribute to the larger body of literature on the importance of fostering strong teaching cultures in higher education and highlight the need for institutions to prioritize the support and recognition of faculty engaged in SoTL.

Surfing the fourth wave: An examination of faculty motivation(s) to participate in SoTL

AbstractThe purpose of this survey‐based research study was to assess factors that higher education faculty identify as enabling and inhibiting their participation in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) across multiple U.S‐based institutions of higher education. Within the current “fourth wave” of SoTL, we identify the need for differentiated strategies to facilitate the participation of a wider range of faculty in emerging questions of teaching, learning, and scholarship.

An invitation into authentic dialogue about positionality in SoTL

AbstractThis chapter draws upon duoethnographic methodology to invite readers into conversation about the complexity and importance of centering positionality in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). We suggest that self‐reflection towards positional awareness fosters ethically rooted, authentic SoTL practice, and offer related considerations that we hope can help SoTL forward in articulating, and living by, its principles of critically collegial and inclusive co‐creation.

Defining the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL)

AbstractSince its conception as a distinctive form of scholarship, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) has evolved into a legitimized field. Despite its rapid evolution, there still exists confusion surrounding its definition and distinctions from scholarly teaching. Additionally, although it is widely recognized across many disciplines, there have been few conversations about the role of SoTL within the field of student affairs and student affairs graduate preparation programs. This article sets the foundation for this discussion. It provides an overview of the definitions and characteristics of SoTL and offers suggestions for the potential role of SoTL in student affairs.

Cultivating a sustained community of teaching and learning scholars across disciplines and institutions

AbstractThis article explores the evolutionary nature of higher education and how it continues to stress the need for the professoriate to be active within scholarly teaching. This qualitative study examines how each author navigates SoTL research and analyzes the authors' reflective journaling for themes and sub‐themes for alignment with Scholarship Reconsidered, Scholarship Assessed and Community of Scholars models. Study findings support the existing literature and showcases the importance of establishing a community of scholars that offers its members a place of psychological safety and support.

Change as a Scientific Enterprise: Practical Suggestions about Using Change Theory.

Change theory has increasingly become an area of scholarship in STEM education. While this area has traditionally been a topic for organizational psychology, business management, communication studies, and higher education, STEM education researchers are increasingly aware of the need to use formal theories to guide change efforts and research. Formal change theory encompasses our current research-based knowledge about how and why change occurs, and therefore, can guide the selection and design of promising interventions. Yet learning about and using theory is challenging because many of us have no formal training in this area and relevant scholarship comes from many different disciplines. Inconsistent terminology creates an additional barrier. Thus, this essay aims to contribute to a common lexicon in STEM higher educational change efforts by clearly distinguishing between formalized change theory, which emerges from research, and a theory of change, which guides the logic of a specific project. We also briefly review the current state of the field regarding the use of formal change theory and provide examples of how change theory has been used in biology education. Lastly, we offer practical guidance for researchers and change agents who wish to more intentionally and effectively use change theory in their work.

Doing Critical Race Theory in Perilous Times: Engaging Critical Race Legal Scholarship for Higher Education and Beyond

Abstract: Misinterpretations and caricatures of Critical Race Theory (CRT) abound in popular media and in higher education scholarship. Given the confusion surrounding what CRT is and is not, I write this conceptual essay as an invitation to engage seriously with CRT's legal foundations. I offer four guideposts to aid scholars in engaging the legal roots of CRT on a deeper level: thinking with and beyond tenets, leveraging the scope of CRT work by legal scholars, understanding the CRT critique of Critical Legal Studies, and appreciating CRT's theoretical depth and complexity. Further, I highlight characteristics of CRT legal scholarship that are not always explicit in higher education research. Specifically, I describe CRT as an anti-subordination project, a materialist project, a critical intellectual project, and an activist project. Through engaging with CRT's legal scholarship, I demonstrate how higher education scholars' understanding and employment of CRT will be enriched.

Fostering a culture of scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education: A look at emerging research

Fostering a culture of scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education: A look at emerging research

Supporting faculty with SoTL through an intensive SoTL Scholars program

AbstractThis chapter describes the development, implementation, and assessment of an intensive Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Scholars program grounded in self‐determination theory. These findings provide one of the first integrations of theory into studying the impact of SoTL and can support educational developers with SoTL initiatives at their own institutions.

Guiding principles and processes of scholarship of teaching and learning and scholarship of practice

AbstractThe concepts of scholarship of teaching and learning and the scholarship of practice are relatively new; therefore, their value within student affairs and institutions of higher education may be questioned. Unfamiliarity with these activities may also impede student affairs graduate faculty and scholar‐practitioners from engaging in this work. In this article, we outline why these activities should be viewed as scholarship and demonstrate how student affairs faculty and practitioners may already possess the skills needed to engage in this work.

SoTL in student affairs graduate preparation programs

AbstractIn the previous article, we defined the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) and the scholarship of practice (SoP) and identified characteristics and qualities related to these topics. In this article, we provide examples of scholars who have conducted a SoTL project related to student affairs. Each of these entries describes the project and gives us insights into why scholars choose to engage in this work and the impact of their work on teaching and learning.

An attempt to cheat using GPT-4: findings, discussion and recommendations for academic staff and students

This manuscript explores the use and detection of ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) content, in the academic setting. The study involves faculty and student partnership at a Higher Education Provider (HEP), examining the implications of the chatbot's use in academic writing and its potential impact on educational practice.
 We employ a dialogical approach in this Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) study, mirroring the ChatGPT conversational style. A former student uses ChatGPT-4 to rewrite an essay, and the generated content is evaluated by free-to-use AI checking tools, Turnitin, and the module tutor.
 Our findings illustrate that while ChatGPT-4 could generate a passable assignment, it lacks depth, criticality, and contextualisation. Further, AI checking tools, while useful, exhibit limitations. However, the generated content could serve as a starting point for students, suggesting a possible shift in the educational paradigm with AI's integration.
 The manuscript also underscores the importance of understanding and navigating AI responsibly, calling for clear guidelines for AI use and improved methods of detecting AI generated content. While AI has emerged as an efficient tool for generating academic content, our study highlights the necessity of human-centric learning and critical thinking skills in academia, emphasising that AI should not replace personal research. We also discuss potential changes to assessment methods in response to AI advancements, recommending strategies for both academic staff and students.
 Our findings have implications for educational institutions worldwide as AI tools become increasingly accessible, raising questions about academic integrity, pedagogical strategies, and the evolving relationship between technology and education.

Pandemic Portals and Radical Imaginations: Employing Critical Arts-Based Pedagogies Toward Racial Justice with Secondary Preservice English Teachers

Background: In the wake of COVID-19 and protests against racial violence, scholars of education, alongside educational organizations, called for innovative responses to address racial injustice, but one solution was consistently mentioned across educational spaces: the need for educators to reimagine education in a postpandemic/endemic world. And yet, even though the importance of (re)imagination in deterring educational issues was greatly emphasized in academia and popular culture, scholarship detailing ways to activate teachers’ imaginations was limited. Purpose: Considering the role of imagination and creativity in the fight for racial justice, the purpose of this article is to examine how arts-based pedagogies in the teacher education classroom might provide space for preservice teachers to cultivate their imaginative proclivities toward racial justice. Research Design: To engage in this analysis, the author employs a thematic analytic process undergirded by the concept of activist art pedagogy and supported by a conceptual framework that bridges abolitionist teaching and the Archaeology of Self. The combination of the framework and analytic method was used to analyze visual artifacts and meta-reflections created by preservice teachers who constructed multiple aesthetic responses to class readings. Conclusions or Recommendations: Findings suggest that critical arts-based inquiries helped preservice teachers to personally connect to and question the historical roots of racial justice. Further, findings indicate that arts-based inquiries can engage preservice teachers’ creative proclivities toward a reimagination of their roles and responsibilities as racial justice–informed teachers.

The contribution of Teacher education to universities: a case study for international teacher educators

ABSTRACT This paper reports on the initial stage of a research project which aims to develop deeper understanding of the contribution teacher education, as a sub-discipline within Education, makes to Higher Education in England. The study is located in the intersection between the domains of teacher education and higher education scholarship, which in England represents a contested and ambiguous professional space. Tensions between competing accountability measures, pulling away from university-based to exclusively school-based teacher education, are exacerbated by proposed policy changes arising from the government's recent market review. Findings drawn from analysis of qualitative data from a national survey are discussed in the context of Elizabeth Povinelli's critique of late liberalism and previous scholarship on the nature of teacher educators’ work. Evidence from the study demonstrates numerous benefits to higher education of hosting teacher education departments, including contributions to standard metrics, regional development and knowledge exchange within a strategic social justice agenda. However, teacher educators themselves may find articulating these benefits difficult, because of marginalisation from the dominant ways of achieving and accounting for excellence in the modern university. These findings offer a cautionary tale to international colleagues whose governments may be embarking on equivalent paths of teacher education reform.