Reviewing the Literature on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL): An Academic Literacies Perspective

Abstract

There are few sources that critically evaluate the ways of reviewing the literature on scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). We use an academic literacies perspective as a lens with which to explore the ways that literature reviews may be undertaken. While reviewing the literature is often presented as a scientific, objective process, the reality is much messier, nuanced, and iterative. It is a complex, context-dependent procedure. We provide a practical, critical guide to undertaking SoTL literature reviews. We distinguish between embedded reviews that present a review contextualising the research that follows, as in most SoTL articles; and freestanding reviews that synthesise research on specific topics. We discuss the nature of embedded reviews, and evaluate systematic and narrative review approaches to undertaking freestanding reviews. We contend that the claims of the superiority of systematic reviews are unjustified. It is important that contextually-sensitive judgements and interpretation of texts associated with narrative reviews are seen as central to the reviewing process, and as a strength rather than a weakness. This article complements a separate one, where we apply an academic literacies lens to reviewing the literature on searching the SoTL literature. Together, they present a narrative review of searching and reviewing the SoTL literature undertaken systematically. We call for studies investigating the lived experiences of SoTL scholars. We illustrate this argument with an auto-ethnographic account of the often-serendipitous nature of our hunt for sources in preparing this review and the way our thinking and writing evolved during the writing of the two articles.

Reflections on disciplinary perspectives on students as partners

“…International Journal for Students as Partners, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v7i1.5444 6 both new and experienced scholars on how to search and review both the discipline-based and generic education literature (Healey & Healey, 2023a, 2023b and undertake educational inquiries (Cleaver et al, 2018). One recent discipline-based review of SaP only included one reference to SaP outside their discipline (Liatis et al, 2020).…”

Performance of Empirical Research as a Method for Achieving Professional Students’ Competence: a Case Study of Teaching Sales Skills to Future Employees of the Beauty Industry

“…This concept was a basis for creation of the best known and definitely the most quoted model, prepared by M. Healey (2005). It has the form of a multidimensional matrix that allows for differentiating four various types of relations occurring between research and education.…”

Towards the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through Engineering Training for Labor Market Reintegration of Older Workers

“…The methodology used in inquiry-based learning is applied in other teaching methods; therefore, the border between such methods is not clearly delimited. It is precisely this methodology that is recommended for STEM subjects [48,49]. However, it is not yet being widely used, and when it has been used, it has been in more theoretical than practical subjects [50], although this methodology is beginning to be applied with a focus on the SDGs [51].…”