Navigating SoTL: Identity, time, and transformation in academic decision-making

Abstract

Engagement in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) remains a contested space in tertiary education. Within Human Movement Sciences (HMS) in South Africa, research tends to centre on discipline-specific inquiry, with limited engagement in pedagogical scholarship. As a newly formed Community of Practice (CoP), we set out to explore how SoTL might be integrated into our diverse academic contexts, without assuming a one-size-fits-all model. Since 2021, our group has used a Participatory Action Learning and Action Research (PALAR) design to guide collective inquiry, drawing on data from three workshops and a focus group, thematically analysed through democratic dialogue. Three interrelated themes emerged: professional identity, time to SoTL, and SoTL transformation through collaboration. These themes form a conceptual compass that academics use to navigate the complex decisions surrounding SoTL engagement. Identity and time were not fixed obstacles, but fluid constructs reshaped through CoP participation. Collaboration emerged as a powerful enabler of transformation, reducing the burden of individualised inquiry and fostering reflective, shared learning. Our findings support a flexible, context-sensitive approach to SoTL, grounded in autonomy, dialogue, and institutional responsiveness. We argue that such an approach holds promise for reimagining SoTL as an integrated, sustainable aspect of academic practice.