Examining the Focus of SoTL Literature—Teaching and Learning?

Abstract

Although the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) claims to focus on student learning, some have argued that SoTL studies often adopt a narrow view of learning and focus more on teaching than on learning. In this paper, we explore whether teaching is the primary focus of recent articles published from 2013-2017 in three international, self-identified SoTL journals: Teaching and Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal (TLI), The International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ijSOTL), and The Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (JoSoTL). Based on our analysis of the 299 empirical articles, we argue that they portray SoTL as a field focused primarily on teacher activity rather than student learning, despite efforts to broaden its scope.

Developing student capacity to produce digital scholarship in the humanities

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The disciplinary scholarship of teaching and learning in political science and international relations: methods, topics, and impact

“…While we might note that Boyer’s ‘scholarship of teaching’ already left out the ‘learning’ part of the equation, many have noted that educational research at the higher education level has continued to be an overwhelmingly instructor-focused endeavor. Indeed, the prioritization of instructor experiences persists (Manarin et al 2021 ), despite ample research that has demonstrated the importance of student-centered learning and advocacy for students to be recognized as partners in teaching and learning (Felten et al 2014 ; Mercer-Mapstone et al 2017 ). Scholars conducting research on teaching and learning practices can center student voices both by adopting methods that allow for open response and reflection from student participants and by engaging students in opportunities for co-authorship and collaboration.…”

I Appreciate You: A Spectral Reading of SoTL during COVID-19

“…In their analysis of empirical SoTL literature, Manarin et al (2021) identify the prevalence of "what works" as a narrow disciplinary view. I'd like you to consider this instead as a bold disciplinary or methodological "attitude," especially considering the pervasive scholarly anxiety towards lines of inquiry that are antithetical to the monopolizing "doubting game" (Elbow 2009).…”