Advancing Sustainable Development Goal 4 Through a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: The Development and Validation of a Student-Centered Educational Quality Scale in Developing Countries

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Aligned with the 2030 Agenda’s call for inclusive, quality education, this study bridges Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)—both committed to equitable, evidence-based education. We address the challenge of SoTL practice and of implementing SDG4 targets in top–down systems prevalent in developing countries by centering student voices. By centering student perspectives as a reflective lens, we develop and validate a student-driven five-dimensional SoTL evaluation scale. Utilizing a three-phase mixed-methods approach—the initial construction of a 48-item scale (Stage 1), pilot testing with 202 students and exploratory factor analysis (Stage 2), and confirmatory factor analysis with 468 responses in the main survey (Stage 3)—we established a robust framework encompassing teaching practice, teaching effectiveness, knowledge base, the multi-relationship, and teaching interaction. This study provides a scalable tool for monitoring progress toward the SDG4 targets across diverse educational contexts, bridging global sustainability imperatives with the localized pedagogical reality.