Recognition and reward programs for higher education faculty: A scoping review protocol

Abstract

Teacher recognition programs are related to faculty development and quality assurance policies in higher education institutions. They are implemented to acknowledge and value teaching work, disseminate good practices, and improve the quality of learning processes. However, the available literature on teacher recognition programs in higher education appears to be fragmented and heterogeneous, which poses an obstacle to systematically identifying aspects that are relevant to the teacher recognition process. In this context, the main objective of this scoping review protocol is to identify the available scholarly literature on teacher recognition programs in higher education institutions, taking into account their selection criteria, the types of incentives provided, and the reported outcomes. The review follows the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and adheres to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A systematic search will be conducted in selected databases—Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC, LILACS, SciELO, Google, CORE, BASE, and GreyNet—and complemented by the reference lists of the selected documents in Spanish, English, Portuguese, and French. Descriptive statistical analysis and thematic analysis will be conducted. The findings will be organized and mapped both narratively and visually using tables, charts, flow diagrams, and summaries. The scoping review will describe the search process and its results, the selection of studies, the synthesis process, and the findings. The planned review will examine teacher recognition programs in universities and their contributions, as well as to explore potential practical implications. This protocol was registered on Open Science Framework. The registry number is osf.io/yuv26.