2025/06/01 by Janice Miller‐Young, Jillian Seniuk Cicek, Jeff Paul · 1 voice
Decision Sciences · Social Sciences · #Higher Education Learning Practices #Innovative Education and Learning Practices #Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/2331186x.2025.2501364
openalex publication_date 2025/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
This study investigates the intricacies of interdisciplinary collaboration within the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), a field characterized by its epistemic and methodological diversity. We use constructive grounded theory to analyze the conversations of three experienced SoTL scholars from diverse disciplines, as they worked on a SoTL textbook, framed with the theoretical lenses of Landscapes of Practice and boundary crossing. By analyzing thirteen conversations recorded over eight months, we illustrate a transformative, interdisciplinary collaboration process and identify four key themes in the data: (i) boundary crossing can be explained in two distinct parts: the breadth and depth of expertise, and ontological and epistemological differences; (ii) mediators of successful interdisciplinary boundary work include team relationship, use of metaphors, development of a shared language, reliance on other disciplinary experts, and a focus on audience; and (iii) the need for deep, sustained engagement with each other’s disciplinary contexts in order to (iv) crystallize a new, shared space. This research adds to the literature on interdisciplinary learning and boundary crossing, and makes specific recommendations for those who wish to engage in and facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations.