How to Think CLEARly When Designing SoTL Inquiry

By Professor Earle Abrahamson

Designing SoTL inquiry can feel overwhelming to many educators. Questions emerge from the classroom, but translating curiosity into a meaningful study that improves learning can be challenging. The CLEAR model, developed by the author, provides a practical, step-by-step framework to help scholars design SoTL studies that are rigorous, usable, and impactful. Grounded in Hutchings’ (2000) taxonomy of question types and informed by cognitive and learning science, CLEAR guides scholars from initial curiosity to evidence-informed change.

Why the CLEAR Model Matters

SoTL is not just about classroom practice; it is about supporting educators as scholars and leaders. Good inquiry connects teaching questions to theory, uses methods intentionally, and produces findings that inform practice, program design, and professional growth. CLEAR provides a scaffold for this process. It ensures studies are meaningful in real-world contexts, while giving scholars a clear path to navigate the complexity of research design. By making the steps explicit, CLEAR helps both novice and experienced scholars feel confident and capable in conducting SoTL.

C: Curiosity and Classification

Every SoTL inquiry begins with a question drawn from teaching experience. Being explicit about the type of question shapes the study from the start. Hutchings (2000) identifies four types: descriptive, which asks what is happening; exploratory, which investigates why or how; evaluative, which assesses what works; and imaginative, which considers how practice might change. Identifying the question type clarifies the study’s purpose and sets boundaries for what claims can be made. This clarity protects scholars from trying to answer everything at once and helps focus the inquiry where it can have the most impact.

L: Literature and Theory

Linking questions to relevant theory ensures SoTL is grounded in evidence and avoids reinventing the wheel. Insights from learning and cognitive science—such as retrieval practice, spaced learning, and metacognition—help explain how students consolidate knowledge. Research on belonging, motivation, and social context highlights the factors that shape engagement and outcomes (Khoza 2025). A focused review clarifies what is already known and positions the inquiry to contribute new understanding. For scholars, this step strengthens credibility and connects classroom questions to broader evidence that can inform policy, program design, and professional development.

E: Evidence and Method

Choosing methods that align with the question is critical. Descriptive questions benefit from observation, student artifacts, or reflective journals. Evaluative questions may require pre- and post-assessments, controlled comparisons, or analysis of performance data. Exploratory inquiries often rely on interviews, focus groups, or learning analytics. The key is intentionality: methods exist to answer the question, not simply to collect data. CLEAR helps scholars match their inquiry type to methods that produce meaningful, interpretable evidence.

A: Analysis and Meaning Making

Analysis transforms evidence into insight. Scholars should look for patterns, variation, and context-specific findings while avoiding overgeneralization. Connecting results back to theory and prior research strengthens claims and situates the study within the broader SoTL landscape. Triangulation and transparency about limitations enhance credibility. At this stage, data becomes a tool to understand how students learn in specific conditions, providing knowledge that can guide both practice and further inquiry.

R: Reflection and Application

SoTL is inherently practical. Reflection is not only about improving your own teaching; it is about sharing insights with colleagues, students, and programs. Findings may lead to new activities, resource changes, or iterative cycles of inquiry. Sharing in accessible ways ensures others can adapt the insights. Reflection also supports leadership and professional development, reinforcing SoTL as a vehicle for building collective capacity and evidence-informed teaching cultures.

Putting CLEAR into Practice

The CLEAR model makes SoTL manageable. It scaffolds team projects, supports scholars in designing small-scale studies, and structures reporting to increase the likelihood that findings are used. By explicitly linking questions to theory, aligning methods, analyzing carefully, and reflecting on application, CLEAR helps scholars produce local knowledge that can travel beyond the classroom. The model supports continuous cycles of improvement, strengthening both individual and institutional understanding of how students learn.

Conclusion

CLEAR is not a rigid recipe. It is a practical framework that helps scholars move from curiosity to meaningful, actionable insight. By naming the question, connecting it to theory, selecting aligned methods, analyzing carefully, and reflecting on application, SoTL studies become rigorous, useful, and ethical (Mueller 2023).

References

Hutchings, P. (2000). Approaching the scholarship of teaching and learning. Opening lines: Approaches to the scholarship of teaching and learning, 1-10.

Khoza, H. C. (2025). Belonging, Re-Belonging And Re-Becoming: A Science Teacher Educator’s Self-Study of Using Pedagogical Tensions to Explore The Shaping of One’s Pedagogical Approaches. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 19(1), 4.

Mueller, R. (2023). Ensuring design alignment in SoTL inquiry: Merging research purpose and methods. In SoTL in Action (pp. 53-61). Routledge.