COMMON CHALLENGES AND SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS IN INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH

Common Challenges in Interdisciplinary Research

References

Difficulties Related to Collaborating with Other Disciplines

Barisonzi, & Thorn, 2003; Bradbeer, 1999; Braddock, Fien, & Rickson, 1994; Brewer, 1999; Franks, Dale, Hindmarsh, Fellows, Buckridge, & Cybinski, 2007; Fry, 2001; Hall & Weaver, 2001; Knights & Willmott, 1997; Lyall & Meagher, 2012; Mansilla & Duraisingh, 2007; NAS, NAE, & IOM, 2005; Newell, 1992; Siedlok & Hibbert, 2009; Weinbert, & Harding, 2004; Woods, 2006

Personal Issues

Braddock, Fien, & Rickson, 1994; Brewer, 1999; Franks, Dale, Hindmarsh, Fellows, Buckridge, & Cybinski, 2007; Hall & Weaver, 2001; Morse, Nielsen-Pincus, Force, & Wulfhorst, 2007; NAS, NAE, & IOM, 2005; Nash, 2008; Satin, 1994; Siedlok & Hibbert, 2009

Time Constraints

Barisonzi, & Thorn, 2003; Golding, 2009; Lyall, Bruce, Marsden & Meagher, 2011; Morse, Nielsen-Pincus, Force, & Wulfhorst, 2007; NAS, NAE, & IOM, 2005; Nash, 2008; Panaritis, 1995; Satin, 1994; Weinbert, & Harding, 2004

Intransigence from Current Institutional Structure

Braddock, Fien, & Rickson, 1994; Brewer, 1999; Golding, 2009; Mansilla& Duraisingh, 2007; Morse, Nielsen-Pincus, Force, & Wulfhorst, 2007; NAS, NAE, & IOM, 2005; Satin, 1994; Siedlok & Hibbert, 2009

Problems Being at the Interface Between Disciplines

Barisonzi, & Thorn, 2003; Brewer, 1999; Field & Lee, 1992; Lyall & Meagher, 2012; NAS, NAE, & IOM, 2005; Siedlok & Hibbert, 2009

Lack of Opportunities for People

Brewer, 1999; Fry, 2001; Lyall, Bruce, Marsden & Meagher, 2011; Lyall & Meagher, 2012; Morse, Nielsen-Pincus, Force, & Wulfhorst, 2007; NAS, NAE, & IOM, 2005;

Licencing and Ownership Ambiguities

Lyall & Meagher, 2012; NAS, NAE, & IOM, 2005; Weinbert, & Harding, 2004

Lack of Local Level Management

Lyall, Bruce, Marsden & Meagher, 2011; Lyall & Meagher, 2012; NAS, NAE, & IOM, 2005

 

Suggested Solutions to Interdisciplinary Challenges

References

Provide Training on Technical and Supplemental Skills

Barisonzi, & Thorn, 2003; Franks, Dale, Hindmarsh, Fellows, Buckridge, & Cybinski, 2007; Golding, 2009; Hall & Weaver, 2001; Klein, 2005; Klein, 2006; Knights and Willmott, 1997; Lyall, Bruce, Marsden & Meagher, 2011; Lyall & Meagher, 2012; Morse, Nielsen-Pincus, Force, & Wulfhorst, 2007; Nash, 2008; Newell, 2001; Panaritis, 1995; Satin, 1994; Spelt, Biemans, Tobi, Luning & Mulder, 2009; Weinbert, & Harding, 2004; Woods, 2006

Build Relationships with Members of the Group

Golding, 2009; Hall & Weaver, 2001; Lyall, Bruce, Marsden & Meagher, 2011; Morse, Nielsen-Pincus, Force, & Wulfhorst, 2007; Nash, 2008; Newell, 1992; Newell, 2001; Satin, 1994; Weinbert, & Harding, 2004

Include Senior Staff and Interested Parties

Lyall, Bruce, Marsden & Meagher, 2011; Lyall & Meagher, 2012; Nash, 2008; Morse, Nielsen-Pincus, Force, & Wulfhorst, 2007; Panaritis, 1995; Weinbert, & Harding, 2004

Incorporate Effective Management Practices to Construct Clear Objectives and Evaluation

Golding, 2009; Hall & Weaver, 2001; Lyall, Bruce, Marsden & Meagher, 2011; Morse, Nielsen-Pincus, Force, & Wulfhorst, 2007; Woods, 2006

Increase Funding Opportunities and Adapt Existing Ones for IDR

Lyall, Bruce, Marsden & Meagher, 2011; Morse, Nielsen-Pincus, Force, & Wulfhorst, 2007; Nash, 2008; Satin, 1994

Incentivise IDR with Support and Rewards

Knights & Willmott, 1997; Lyall, Bruce, Marsden & Meagher, 2011; Panaritis, 1995

Establish an Institutional Structure that Prioritises IDR

Field & Lee, 1992; Lyall, Bruce, Marsden & Meagher, 2011

Discourage Disciplinary "Selfishness"

Morse, Nielsen-Pincus, Force, & Wulfhorst, 2007

 

REFERENCES

Barisonzi, J. & Thorn, M. (2003). Teaching Revolution: Issues in Interdisciplinary Education. College Teaching, 51(1), 5-8. doi: 10.1080/87567550309596402

Bradbeer, J. (1999). Barriers to Interdisciplinarity: disciplinary discourses and student learning. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 23(3), 381-396. doi: 10.1080/03098269985326

Braddock, R., Fien, J. & Rickson, R. (1994). Environmental studies: managing the disciplinary divide. The Environmentalist, 14(1), 35-46. doi: 10.1007/BF01902658

Brewer, G. (1999). The challenges of interdisciplinarity. Policy Sciences, 32(4), 327-337. doi: 10.1023/A:1004706019826

Field, M. & Lee, R. (1992). Assessment of Interdisciplinary Programmes. European Journal of Education, 27(3), 277-283. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1503454

Franks, D., Dale, P., Hindmarsh, R., Fellows, C., Buckridge, M., & Cybinski, P. (2007). Interdisciplinary foundations: reflecting on interdisciplinarity and three decades of teaching and research at Griffith University, Australia. Studies in Higher Education, 32(2), 167-185. doi: 10.1080/03075070701267228

Fry, G. (2001). Multifunctional landscapes - towards transdisciplinary research. Landscape and Urban Planning, 57, 159-168. doi: 10.1016/S0169-2046(01)00201-8

Hall, P. & Weaver, L. (2001). Interdisciplinary Education and Teamwork: a Long and Winding Road. Medical Education, 35, 867-875. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2923.2001.00919.x

Klein, J. (2005). Integrative Learning and Interdisciplinary Studies. Peer Review, 7(4), 8-10. Retrieved from http://www.aacu.org/peerreview/pr-sufa05/documents/PRSUFA05_Web.pdf

Klein, J. (2006). A Platform for a Shared Discourse of Interdisciplinary Education. Journal of Social Science Education, 5(2), 10-18. Retrieved from http://www.jsse.org/jsse/index.php/jsse/article/view/1026/929.

Knights, D. & Willmott, H. (1997). The Hype and Hope of Interdisciplinary Management Studies. British Journal of Management, 8 (1), 9-22. doi: 10.1111/1467-8551.00035

Lyall, C., Bruce, A., Marsden, W., & Meagher, L. (2011). Identifying Key Success Factors in the Quest for Interdisciplinary Knowledge. Retrieved from genomicsnetwork.ac.uk website: http://www.genomicsnetwork.ac.uk/media/QUEST%20Interdisciplinarity%20FINAL%20report%20310111.pdf

Lyall, C. & Meagher, L. (2012). A Masterclass in interdisciplinarity: Research into practice in training the next generation of interdisciplinary researchers. Futures, 44, 608-617. doi: 10.1016/j.futures.2012.03.011

Mansilla, V. & Duraisingh, E. (2007). Targeted Assessment of Student's Interdisciplinary Work: An Empirically Grounded Framework Proposed. The Journal of Higher Education, 78(2), 215-237. doi: 10.1353/jhe.2007.0008

Morse, W., Nielsen-Pincus, M., Force, J., & Wulfhorst, J. (2007). Bridges and Barriers to Developing and Conducting Interdisciplinary Graduate-Student Team Research. Ecology and Society, 12(2), 1-12. Retrieved from http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol12/iss2/art8/ES-2007-2082.pdf

NAS 2005, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research. Washington D.C.: The National Academies Press.

Nash, J. (2008). Transdisciplinary Training: Key Components and Prerequisites for Success. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 35(2S), S133-S140. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2008.05.004

Newell, W. (1992). Academic Disciplines and Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Education: Lessons from the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Miami University, Ohio. European Journal of Education, 27(3), 211-221. Retrieved from http://www.jstore.org/stable/1503450

Newell, W. (2001). A Theory of Interdisciplinary Studies. Issues in Integrative Studies, 19, 1-25. Retrieved from http://www.units.muohio.edu/aisorg/pubs/issues/19_Newell.pdf

Panaritis, P. (1995). Beyond Brainstorming: Planning a Successful Interdisciplinary Program. The Phi Delta Kappan, 76(8), 623-628. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20405414

Satin, D. (1994). A conceptual Framework for Working Relationships Among Disciplines and the Place of Interdisciplinary Education and Practice: Clarifying Muddy Waters. Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, 14(3), 3-24. doi: 10.1300/J021v14n03_02

Siedlok, F., & Hibbert, P. (2009, December). Interdisciplinary research: A review of contextual and process factors. Paper presented at the meeting of Australia and New Zealand Academy of Management: Sustainable Management and Marketing, Melbourne, Australia.

Spelt, E., Biemans, H., Tobi, H., Luning, P., & Mulder, M. (2009). Teaching and Learning in Interdisciplinary Higher Education: A Systematic Review. Educational Psychology Review, 21(4), 365-378. doi: 10.1007/s10648-009-9113-z

Weinbert, A. & Harding, C. (2004). Interdisciplinary Teaching and Collaboration in Higher Education: A Concept Whose Time Has Come. Washington University Journal of Law & Policy, 14, 15-48. Retrieved from http://law.wustl.edu/Journal/14/p15WeinbergHardingbookpages.pdf

Woods, C. (2006). Researching and developing interdisciplinary teaching: towards a conceptual framework for classroom communication. Higher Education, 54(6), 853-866. doi: 10.1007/s10734-006-9027-3