What Drives Teachers to Engage in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in China’s Application-Oriented Universities? A Qualitative Content Analysis

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) offers substantial promise for enhancing instructional quality and talent development in application-oriented universities; however, factors that influence the SoTL engagement remain inadequately explored. The oversight hampers the advancement of SoTL in these universities, necessitating systematic inquiry. In this qualitative study a thematic analysis was undertaken of semi-structured interviews with 17 faculty members and four interdependent determinants of SoTL engagement were identified: (a) attitudes and cognition (interests, teaching beliefs, identification, perceived benefits), (b) SoTL competencies (knowledge structures, systematic integration, communication skills, teaching experiences), (c) significant others (peers, colleagues, students, mentors), and (d) SoTL environmental context (resource availability, cultural support). Engagement arises from the dynamic interplay among these dimensions, and intricate interactions were revealed among driving, enabling, reinforcing, and context-restructuring mechanisms. The faculty members reported demonstrating strategic agency by leveraging external professional networks to navigate institutional constraints, thereby sustaining professional growth despite resource limitations. These findings affirm key components of the Theory of Planned Behavior while expanding its application to behavioral maintenance mechanisms within constrained environments. The study findings advocate integrated interventions including: cultivating intrinsic motivation, building SoTL capability, and restructuring organizational environment, especially formalizing external community integration and reshaping internal incentives, in order to foster sustainable engagement.