{"id":53,"date":"2026-01-29T12:47:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T16:47:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/cetl\/educational-research\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T12:52:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T16:52:09","slug":"educational-research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/cetl\/educational-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Educational Research"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Educational Research (SoTL)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Educational research, otherwise known as the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is the evidence-based, systematic investigation of teaching practices and student learning, primarily within higher education contexts. SoTL involves critical reflection (or reflective practice), evidence gathering (e.g. data collection), and public dissemination of findings to improve educational outcomes and thus contribute to a broader pedagogical knowledge base and improve teaching and learning practices (Bunnell et al, 2022). More specifically, SoTL is an impactful avenue for faculty to facilitate meaningful learning for students, and as an effective instrument that promotes the creation, implementation and evaluation of pedagogical innovations (Burns, 2017; Franzese & Felten, 2017).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAs seen in the following illustration (right), SoTL is sometimes conceptualized as a cycle of inquiry, as it requires:
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  1. Definition of research questions,<\/li>\n
  2. Identification of evidence and methods to answer the questions,<\/li>\n
  3. Creation of an action plan,<\/li>\n
  4. Preparation of tools, instruments and measures,<\/li>\n
  5. Collection of data,<\/li>\n
  6. Analysis of data,<\/li>\n
  7. Identification of new questions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWhen applied, the aforementioned steps can be condensed into four phases. As seen in the illustration (on the right), these steps or phases are as follows:<\/p>\n

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  1. Phase 1: <\/strong>Preparation: Research, plan, design materials\/instruments, pilot<\/li>\n
  2. Phase 2:<\/strong> Data Collection<\/li>\n
  3. Phase 3:<\/strong> Data Analysis (i.e. data cleaning, identifying patterns and phenomena, lessons learned)<\/li>\n
  4. Phase 4:<\/strong> Revision (i.e. actioning data-driven changes to instruction)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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\nCore Aspects and Characteristics of SoTL<\/strong><\/span>
\nSoTL comprises three primary components that ensures its relevance and impact in teaching and learning excellence. As seen in the following illustration, these are inter-related tenets include systematic inquiry, purpose and context. Systematic inquiry<\/strong> transcends beyond just reflecting on one’s teaching practice (reflective practice). Moreover, it uses established research methods and designs such as data driven observations, literature reviews, as well as the assessment of learning outcomes. Purpose<\/strong> refers to the primary goal of SoTL, which is to enhance teaching practices and student learning experiences, advocate for innovation in learning contexts, and share findings with the wider community of educational practitioners and stakeholders. Context<\/strong> is another primary pilar of SoTL that focuses on discipline-specific pedagogical knowledge, where the educational research and its’ findings and impact are within the context of a specific discipline.<\/p>\n

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