Staff conceptions of innovative teaching: a phenomenographic study

Van-Ess, Josephine and Bligh, Brett (2026) Staff conceptions of innovative teaching: a phenomenographic study. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

Universities increasingly rely on innovative teaching as part of their strategic objectives. Research on innovative teaching has provided insights into what innovative teaching entails, factors affecting staff engagement, and the purpose of innovative teaching within higher education. A key shortcoming of the literature is that it overemphasises singular meanings of what innovative teaching is. This overreliance reinforces the perception of a shared understanding of what innovative teaching entails, creating challenges for staff engagement with innovative teaching. My thesis employs phenomenography to investigate the qualitatively different ways staff experience innovative teaching within a higher education context. The study draws on data from interviews with 16 participants from a research-intensive university, examining their experiences with innovative teaching. The study's findings are presented in an outcome space, which represents variation in understanding of innovative teaching. This variation comprises four qualitatively different and hierarchically inclusive ways of experiencing innovative teaching referred to as the categories of description (referential aspect) and four dimensions of variation, which illustrate how the dimensions of variation are related along common themes (structural aspect). The findings reveal variation in how participants experience innovative teaching, ranging from a conception that focuses on teaching methods to more inclusive conceptions that emphasise student development. For instance, in Category 1, innovative teaching is characterised by newness or difference, whereas in Category 4, innovative teaching focuses on student development. In addition, the categories of description vary across four dimensions of variation, including the role of the instructor. In Category 1, this role is primarily perceived as meeting institutional expectations, whereas in Category 4, the instructor's role is seen as encouraging lifelong learning. My thesis makes a range of contributions to the literature on innovative teaching. For example, my analysis reveals the diverse interpretations of innovative teaching held by participants, thereby highlighting the need for a shift away from singular understandings of this concept. Another contribution to the literature is to highlight how staff’s expressed emotions influence their engagement with innovative teaching. This contribution demonstrates how the emotional resonances of staff experiences with innovative teaching influence their engagement with innovative teaching and student-staff relationships.