1.2 Why Interdisciplinary Studies?

Benefits and CHALLENGES of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education

Interdisciplinary studies allows students to enter college and assume the role of captain in their personalized exploration of knowledge.

Oskar Gruenwald, editor of the Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, believes interdisciplinary studies is a “novelty” that will reinvent higher education. By giving students the opportunity to bridge disciplines, new connections are forged and important contributions are made to the world of higher education and beyond. Students are able to combine multiple disciplines and pursue different ways of thinking about the same problem or subject. It’s a revolutionary way of learning that encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration, enables students to develop critical thinking skills, and presents many “real world” opportunities for growth.

Despite the advantages, Michelle Appleby, senior lecturer of education studies at the University of Derby, has expressed some of the disadvantages that interdisciplinary students may face: “one of the biggest barriers to achieving true interdisciplinary study in education environments is the necessity for collaboration of educators.” One of the capstones of higher education is the collaboration between students, professors, and advisors. Departments are made of people working towards the same goal, taking similar classes, and exchanging similar ideas. Interdisciplinary students are removed from the “common core” experience of education, creating a personalized layout instead. One of the benefits of a common core trajectory is the sense of community it brings to education, a sense of community that some interdisciplinary students may not experience in the same way that traditional students experience it.

(Misiewicz, 2016)

Interdisciplinary Studies: A Site for Bridging the Skills Divide

A study by Everett (2016) discusses the cognitive abilities, skills and attributes developed by students who participated in an interdisciplinary research and design project. The findings demonstrate the potential interdisciplinary programs have for developing workplace skills. The skills and abilities that students perceived they had gained are listed in the figure below.

Results from this study provide insights about the potential role interdisciplinary studies programs can play in helping universities prepare students to meet the demands of the 21st century. First, the findings document the range of skills that can be developed through an interdisciplinary studies course. The findings suggest that students believe that over the course of the project they developed intellectual capacities, personal attributes and social skills. Students indicated an improvement in a number of different cognitive abilities, including perspective taking, integration, problem-solving, abstract thinking, holistic thinking, critical and creative thinking and reflective thinking. The cognitive abilities developed encompass a broad spectrum of higher order thinking skills—skills that are essential for deeper learning (Laird, Seifert, Pascarella, Mayhew, & Blaich, 2014). Personal attributes were also developed. Attributes students identified, ethical consciousness, empathy, tolerance for ambiguity, and appreciation for diversity, contribute to moral and character development. In addition to fostering cognitive and personal growth, the interdisciplinary project provided students with opportunities to develop social skills. Meeting the aims of the project, to construct an interdisciplinary understanding of a complex real-world problem, required group members to work effectively in a team environment.

Second, the findings indicate that interdisciplinary work can help develop the skills today’s employers want and need. Many of the skills developed through the project are the skills identified on employer priority lists, including the top two cognitive abilities in demand, innovation and problem-solving (Hart Research Associates, 2013). Student comments reflect the view that their work on the project stimulated creative thinking that helped them generate new ideas for the purpose of solving problems. Another top skill in demand is teamwork. Students’ comments suggest that through the project, they developed the ability to engage collaboratively and work “well with others.” The real-world focus of the project and the small group structure were key factors that contributed to developing the set of skills needed for today’s job market.

Third, the study illustrates how interdisciplinary work can serve to foster the development of skills required for good citizenship. Students indicated that through the project they developed ethical consciousness—engaging in self-reflection and recognizing the role personal bias plays in shaping relationships, attitudes and understandings. Students also developed an appreciation of diversity, perspective-taking and empathy; attributes that require reserving judgement, willingness to listen, trying to understand other points of view and valuing individual differences. These qualities are particularly important given the divisiveness and incivility in today’s society. Humility, tolerance for ambiguity and a love of learning were three additional traits developed. These traits require an acknowledgment that there may not be one right answer and that the search for understanding is an ongoing and exciting process. Many if not all of these attributes are essential to the process of shaping a citizenry committed to building a stronger society. Current efforts for developing citizenship skills in the context of higher education focus on encouraging students to participate in experiential learning, service learning and study abroad programs (see e.g., Brunell, 2013; Johnson, Grazulis, & White, 2014). This study shows how some of these same outcomes can be achieved in the interdisciplinary studies classroom setting.

Fourth, the study finds that many of the skills employers are looking for are the same skills required for good citizenship, including the ability to solve problems, creative and critical thinking, civic mindedness, moral judgement and integrity, effective communication, and collaboration / working as a team. This finding is important because shows the false dichotomy that exists between the two sides in skills debate (Braskamp, 2008; Humphreys, 2009; Schneider, 2014). Perhaps the most significant finding from this study is not only do the skills employers need and the skills required for good citizenship intersect, but because of its real-world focus (Holley, 2009; Newell, 2010; Repko, 2014) and the nature of the work, interdisciplinary studies provides a unique opportunity for students to develop the full range of these skills. The primary tasks, finding common ground and integration require a combination of cognitive abilities, personal attributes and skills that promote both professional and civic development and growth.

(Everett, 2016)

Benefits and Challenges of Interdisciplinary Studies in the Workplace

According to Howard Gardner, a developmental psychologist and expert on education, there are eight kinds of intelligence: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, naturalistic, intrapersonal, and interpersonal (Zakaria 79). If students go to school and pursue a single degree without challenging their minds with different perspectives and disciplines, aren’t they depriving themselves of a brilliant opportunity to grow as an individual? One of the clear benefits of an interdisciplinary degree is for students to learn how they learn and the way their brains work. By challenging themselves with a variety of educational experiences, interdisciplinary students become better critical thinkers, gain more self-awareness, and grow more confident in the way their brains work and who they are as people.

In a study conducted by William Newell and James Davis in 1988, researchers found that students who study interdisciplinarity are more likely to develop: affective cognitive skills; reading, writing, speaking, and thinking skills; higher curiosity for learning; more creativity and originality in thought processes; and an ability to integrate traditional ideas with current ideas. The benefits of finding creative and integrative ways to combine disciplines far outweigh the disadvantages of interdisciplinarity.

(Misiewicz, 2016)

References

Everett, M. C, (2016). Interdisciplinary studies: A site for bridging the skills divide. The Journal of Effective Teaching, 16(2), 20-31. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1117802.pdf

Misiewicz, J. (2016). The benefits and challenges of interdisciplinarity. Interdisciplinary studies: A connected learning approach. Retrieved February 14, 2024, from https://press.rebus.community/idsconnect/chapter/the-benefits-and-challenges-of-interdisciplinarity/. CC BY 4.0