Exploring the current status and influencing factors of Scholarship of Learning and Teaching (SOTL) among Chinese university faculty in centers for learning and teaching

Developing university faculty's scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) is a key factor in enhancing the quality of higher education teaching and talent cultivation, as well as an important function of Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTL) in universities. This study aims to examine the current status and influencing factors of SoTL among Chinese university faculty. Through a survey of managers from 16 university CTLs and 853 full-time faculty members, the results showed: (1) Overall, there are significant differences in the teaching service levels of different CTLs, but the differences in faculty SoTL levels are not significant; (2) Individual teachers’ factors (e.g., gender, age, educational levels, teaching experience, and daily time invested in research and teaching) have a prominent predictive effect on SoTL levels. CTLs’ teaching service levels (e.g., Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), teaching demonstrations, and clarification of teaching reasoning) also impact teachers’ SoTL levels to some extent. These research findings provide evidence for faculty professional development, teaching quality improvement, and the construction of CTLs in universities.