“(More) Neutral, Context-Sensitive Language for SoTL Inquiry“ offers language for studying meaningful differences in learning. Not only do these direct our attention to areas we need to learn more about, but they also give us options when identity-based terms aren’t possible or the most relevant. Rather than avoiding questions of difference, these options reframe how those questions are asked, shifting attention from student identities to learning conditions, structures, participation patterns, and outcomes. Doing so helps locate responsibility for differential learning in educational design and institutional structures, rather than implicitly in students themselves.
How you might use this resource
- To revise research questions, instruments, or findings to reduce identity-based or deficit framing
- To support SoTL work in politically sensitive or policy-constrained contexts
- To help SoTL scholars ask “for whom?” without relying on demographic labels
How to cite this resource: Chick, Nancy L., and Jennifer C. Friberg-Fort. 2026. “(More) Neutral, Context-Sensitive Language for SoTL Inquiry.” SoTL in the States, February 23. https://sotlinthestates.org/2026/02/23/naming-difference-carefully/
