Probing university teachers’ self-study experiences: insights from a systematic review spanning two decades

This systematic review examines self-study literature within higher education from 2002 to 2022, aiming to delineate the landscape of this emergent research paradigm by identifying salient research trends, insights, and contributions. Findings reveal a continuum of motivational orientations among researchers, ranging from practice-driven to self-exploratory. Emphasizing a predominant qualitative research orientation, the self-study process centers on exploring researchers' own practices, learning journeys, and identities within their institutional and socio-cultural contexts. While this review depicts the professional gains of self-studies, including improvements in pedagogy, social and emotional growth, as well as personal and existential reflections, it also identifies challenges such as accommodating diverse perspectives, navigating power dynamics, and managing emotional intensity. Various strategies in the reviewed studies are identified to tackle these challenges, including situating concerns and issues within the larger institutional and socio-cultural discourse, drawing on relevant theories and literature as a conceptual basis, and building upon a democratic and respectful relationship. The review concludes by offering research directions for university teachers interested in conducting self-studies to seek their professional development.