On “Good” Teaching: A Scoping Review of Research University Instructors’ Pedagogical Purposes, Philosophies & Practices

• In Event: Critical considerations for in-person and online teaching

Abstract

There is growing concern about what happens in college classrooms, but empirical understandings of teaching quality—including underlying individual and structural characteristics—are mixed. If research universities aim to rethink standard instructional routines (e.g., lecturing), it is vital to examine how instructors conceptualize elements of “good” pedagogy. This scoping review synthesized literature on postsecondary instructors’ conceptions of quality instruction, yielding two themes. Theme 1 reveals evidence on instructors’ actions, philosophies, and dispositions, noting that conceptions of “good” teaching are shaped by internal beliefs, professional development, and contextual factors. Theme 2 documents scholarship on constraints on pedagogical enactment, including lack of training, incentives, and time. By mapping existing literature, this scoping review provides a foundation for future innovations in postsecondary teaching.

Authors

• Justin A. Gutzwa, Michigan State University

• Damani K. White-Lewis, University of Pennsylvania

• Annie M. Wofford, Florida State University

• Noemi Fernandez, University of Pennsylvania

• Saryu Sanghani, University of Pennsylvania

• Ivana Marshall, University of Pennsylvania

• May Truong, University of Pennsylvania

• Catherine L. Zhang, University of Pennsylvania