7th International GSOM Emerging Markets

Conference (GSOM EMC-2020)

“New Reality During & After Covid-19”, November
11-18, 2020

The disciplinarity paradigm and its application to

implementing the interdisciplinary concept
Vitally CHERENKOV, Natalia DROZDOVA, Tatyana MARTYNOVA,
Professor, Assistant professor, Assistant professor,
Marketing Department Public Administration Department “Languages for Academic and Business
Communication” Department
 WHY WE ARE HERE?
Scientific answer Pragmatic answer
 The present paper is a preliminary output of the
 Business school is a sort of production unit research supported by grant MNG_2020-2021

 Business school produce inter alia managers  We fully agree that “knowledge,
 Managers produce inter alia new managerial which is intangible and ineffable,
decisions has a paradoxical role as the
 Managerial decisions are based on quanta of heart of all intellectual life and
new knowledge thus the defining measure of
 Therefore, Knowledge Management is an progress and civilization and the
appropriate marketplace for our product underlying raison d’être of
universities and libraries”
[Bernstein, 2014].
FIELD OF RESEARCH = MORE THAN 160 I-ITEMS


 NUMBER OF GOOGLE-RESPONSES TO THE QUERIES
ACCORDING TO FOLLOWING BOOLEAN COMBINATIONS -
- JULY 2020

B-query = 1) (“disciplinary” OR “monodisciplinary”) AND {E}; 2) “crossdisciplinary” AND {E}; 3)

(“multidisciplinary” OR “pluridisciplinary”) AND {E}; 4) “interdisciplinary” AND {E};
5) “transdisciplinary”) AND {E};
{E} = (“course” OR “curriculum” OR “curricula” OR “education” OR “research”)
VISIBILITY OF THE DISCIPLINARITY PARADIGM
1971-2020
Motivation On the other hand…

• Research
• There are strange and a bit obsolete for us but till today existing battles between two
“prophets”:
 Interdisciplinarians versus Disciplinarians
 Interdisciplinarians versus Transdisciplinarians
• There is lack of conceptual clarity in relation to the nature and intrinsic originality of ID &
TD research (Jacobs, Frickel, 2009)

• Methodology
• There is no conventional theory neither for interdisciplinarity nor transdisciplinarity
• According to various sources the typology of disciplinarity consists of from three
(monodisciplinary, cross-disciplinary, and transdisciplinary) to eight and even more types
Motivation On the other hand…
• Education
• Angelucci and Lamonica (2018) mapped information on more than 1200 interdisciplinary
Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral programs, offered by more than 600 institutions in 34
countries
• Programs are named: Integrative/Integrated, Multi-, Inter-, and Transdisciplinary
• There is mismatch between the “label” attributed by universities and the actual training
offered: 6 out of 10 programs show rather low or low level of interaction
• May be evidence that the rationale behind labelling some programs as ID is due to the
adoption of “market positioning strategies” rather than a true reflection of the level of
integration and interaction between disciplinary areas
Aim and methodology – …time and again

• The main purpose of this study is to clarify the concept of disciplinarity and
sketch a landscape of its application in higher education

• Methodology. Analytical literature review based on relative academic papers,

books, research reports, and dictionaries

• Keywords: disciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, disciplinarity paradigm, taxonomy of

disciplinarity, disciplinarity map, education, interdisciplinary course, teaching
methods
Multidimensional representation of different ways of academic
disciplinary knowledge integration (based on our literature review):
Criteria Multidisciplinary Interdisciplinary Transdisciplinary
Link between Working with several disciplines Working between several Working across several disciplines
disciplines [together] disciplines  and beyond
Problem-driven Problem-driven; Combining formal
Example One object – many approaches and informal knowledge
No of disciplines More than two disciplines More than two disciplines More than two disciplines
Academia – industry – Academia – industry – government –
Participants Academia – industry society
government
Members working Working independently, in Team-work. Working together on Participatory knowledge-creation
approach in teams parallel or sequentially the same project Cross-functional teams
Typically, disciplinary project-
Research approach driven Problem-driven ‘Real world’ system problems-driven
Forms of Integration, assimilation,
integration Summation and juxtaposition Integration and synthesis incorporation, unification
Keyword Additive Interactive Holistic
  2+2=4 2+2=5 2+2=yellow
Metaphor A salad bowl A melting pot
The bowl of fruit A ‘smoothie’ A cake
Bridge building 11
 Disciplinarity paradigm metaphorically visualized

Nissani, M. 1995. Fruits, Salads, and Smoothies: A Working Definition of

Interdisciplinarity, Journal of Educational Thought, 29: 119-126.
Methods for knowledge integration
in transdisciplinary research
• McDonald, Bammer, Deane (2009) classified 14 dialogue methods for applied
integrative research on real-world problems

• Bergmann and colleagues (2012) compiled 43 methods for knowledge integration

and provide 11 examples of transdisciplinary research projects that developed,
used and combined the methods for knowledge integration
1. Integration through conceptual clarification and theoretical framing
2. Integration through research questions and hypothesis formulation
3. Screening, using, refining etc.
4. Integrative assessment procedures
5. Integration through development and application of models
6. Integration through artifacts, services and products as boundary objects
7. Integrative procedures and instruments of research organizations
Level of integration: Comparison of using multi-, inter-, and trans-
disciplinarity approaches in education (based on our literature review)
Criteria Multidisciplinarity Interdisciplinarity Transdisciplinarity
 
Number of Multiple disciplines Multiple disciplines Multiple disciplines
disciplines
Disciplinary Does not challenge Blurring of disciplinary TD programs start with the issue
boundaries disciplinary boundaries boundaries ID programs start or problem
with the discipline
Learning approach Typically, disciplinary ID courses as special topics TD problem-based learning
project driven or capstone courses
Teaching methods Mainly lecture-based Case-based teaching, Research based education,
within the classroom with interdisciplinary projects problem-based learning
different supports development
Organization of Team teaching Team joins students from Team joins students from different
teaching Team joins students from different disciplines disciplines; Workshops with
one discipline stakeholder
Teaching members Co-teaching Co-teaching Co-teaching
discipline-specific University faculty and non- Bringing in “political, social, and
specialists academics economic actors, as well as
Guest lectures ordinary citizens” into the
research process
Spectrum of Integration for Plural Disciplinary
Curricula (our vision in the beginning of research)

Adapted from: [Rhodes, 2019, p. 6]

 LADDER OF DISCIPLINARITY

OUR SOFT SUBJECTIVE CRITICS

TRIPLE UNDERSTANDING OF INTERDISCIPLINARITY
INTERDISCIPLINARITY AS AN UMBRELLA TERM

 Interdisciplinary is very often considered (Friedman, 2001;

[1] Morillo, Bordons, Gómez, 2003;[2] Moore, 2013;[3] Klein,
2010;[4] Andrade et al., 2014;[5] McDermott, Boradkar,
Zunjarwad, 2014;[6] Repko, Szostak, Buchberger, 2014, p. 25;
[7] Mathieu, Paradis, Kuper, 2015;[8] Phinnemore, 2018 [9]
Case…, 2018;[10] Ashby, 2020[11]) as the umbrella term
covering having a part or all features related to all items in
the taxonomy of disciplinarity
 INTERDISCIPLINARITY AS AN UMBRELLA TERM
 [1] Friedman, S.S. 2001. Statement: Academic Feminism and Interdisciplinarity, Feminist Studies, 27(2): 504-509 https://doi.org/10.2307/3178774
 [2] Morillo, F., Bordons, M., Gómez, I. 2003. Interdisciplinarity in science: A tentative typology of disciplines and research areas. Journal of the
American Society for Information Science and Technology, 54(13): 1237-1249 DOI: 10.1002/asi.10326
 [3] Moore, A.L. 2013. Interdisciplinary Studies and Comparative Literature in China and the West. CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 15.6
URL: https://doi.org/10.7771/1481-4374.2359
 [4] Klein, J. T. 2010. A taxonomy of interdisciplinarity. In R. Frodeman, J. T. Klein, C. Mitcham (Eds.),
 The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity (pp. 15–30). Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. [5] Andrade, K., Corbin, C., Diver, S., Eitzel,
M.V., Williamson, J., Brashares, J., Fortmann, L. 2014. Finding your way in the interdisciplinary forest: notes on educating future conservation
practitioners, Biodivers Conserv (2014) 23:3405–3423 URL: https://nature.berkeley.edu/BrasharesGroup/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Andrade-et-al-
2014.pdf
 [6] McDermott, L., Boradkar, P., Zunjarwad, R. 2014. Interdisciplinarity in design education: Benefits and challenges, IDSA Education Symposium,
AUG 13, Austin, TX, USA URL:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5989f93cd2b8578f9951fe08/t/59a47b6bc027d87e465b7979/1503951724908/Interdisciplinarity+in+Design+Edu
cation.pdf
 [7] Repko, A.F., Szostak, R., Buchberger, M.Ph. 2014. Introduction to interdisciplinary studies, SAGE Publications, Los Angeles, CA, ISBN: 10:
1452256608 / ISBN 13: 9781452256603
 [8] Mathieu, A., Paradis, T., Kuper, A. 2015. Interdisciplinary Promises Versus Practices in Medicine: The Decoupled Experiences of Social Sciences
and Humanities Scholars Social Science & Medicine 126: 17-25 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.12.004
 [9] Phinnemore, P.D. 2018. Enhancing Flexibility in the Curriculum and Promoting Interdisciplinarity in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
(AHSS), Reflections, Queen’s University Belfast, December: 1-2URL:
https://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/AcademicStudentAffairs/CentreforEducationalDevelopment/CoursesEventsProfessionalRecognition/Publicatio
ns/ReflectionsIssues/Filetoupload,866355,en.pdf
 [10] Case Study Review of Interdisciplinary Research in Norway, 2018. technopolis |group| United Kingdom URL:
 [11] Ashby, I. 2020. Place of Interdisciplinarity in a Complex World of Higher Education: Leading a Change URL:
http://members.aect.org/events/symposia/Docs/Ashby%202020%20Interpersonal%20Dynamics%20in%20Interdisciplinary
%20Education_SRS_Chapter.pdf
 INTERDISCIPLINARITY AS AN UMBRELLA TERM
 Multi-disciplinarity: integration of
multiple disciplines but using a bird-
view level of understanding
 Cross-disciplinarity: borrowing of tools,
ideas, or theories mainly from
neighboring fields
 Trans-disciplinarity: a synthesis of
disciplines that allows to create new
conceptual frameworks and integrate
disciplinary perspectives
Place of Interdisciplinarity in a Complex World of Higher
Education: Leading a Change
 BACIC TAXONOMY OF DISCIPLINARITY – INTERDISCIPLINARITY
MONO- MULTI- CROSS- TRANS-
Monodisciplinary refers to Multidisciplinary concerns Crossdisciplinary refers to Transdisciplinary concerns
the approach to research/education not in the using a diversity of methods, research/education that which
research/education from the body of only one discipline but tools, and approaches taken is at once between the
perspective of a single several purposefully combined from several academic disciplines, across the
academic discipline. ones to get to the re- disciplines that they use to disciplines, and beyond any of
search/education goal with better making them and inter alia has the
higher effectiveness and research/education in the goal to create new quantum
efficiency specific one discipline of knowledge

SINGLE, ONE MANY, MULTIPART INTERCHANGE ACROSS, THROUGH

AA A; B  A  B A; B  A  B \ A A; B  A*B  C

Semantic, iconographic, and formal representation for the basic taxonomy of

disciplinarity

INTERDISCIPLINARITY DEFINED

 Interdisciplinary research (education - authors) is

a mode of research (education arranged and
effectuated - authors) by teams or individuals that
integrates information, data, techniques, tools,
perspectives, concepts, and/or theories from two or
more disciplines or bodies of specialized
knowledge to advance fundamental understanding
or to solve problems whose solutions are beyond
the scope of a single discipline (Baptista, Spaapen,
2020, p. 33)


Problem-based vs project-based learning
[Brassler, Dettmers, 2017]

• To date, there are no specific interdisciplinary education models

• Problem-based learning and project-based learning are

approaches seem suitable to enhance students’ interdisciplinary
competence

• Students profit more from interdisciplinary problem-based than

interdisciplinary project-based learning
Emerging interdisciplinary methodology

• Team-teaching [Reynolds, 2012]

• Creating mixed experience/expertise classrooms of students [Reynolds, 2012]
• Service learning  [Weber, Englehart,  2011]
• Problem-based learning and project-based learning [Brassler, Dettmers, 2017]

The main criterion in selecting a pedagogical method for program designers should be its
workability to help students understand interdisciplinary methodology and appreciate the
way disciplines are combined or juxtaposed. The value of a pedagogic tool is in
demonstration to students how to integrate knowledge across disciplines [Welch, 2003]
Problem-based vs project-based learning
[Brassler, Dettmers, 2017]

• To date, there are no specific interdisciplinary education models

• Problem-based learning and project-based learning are

approaches seem suitable to enhance students’ interdisciplinary
competence

• Students profit more from interdisciplinary problem-based than

interdisciplinary project-based learning
Characteristics of an Interdisciplinary Thinker
These are the characteristics that both employers and graduate schools have said they
would like to see in their applicants

• Asks questions group • Skills

• Determines goals and meets them • Problem-solving
• Open-minded, independent thinker • Research
• Writing
• Adaptable, not afraid to try new things
• Oral communication
• Creative and innovative • Listening
• Adapts textbook knowledge to the real • Team-spirited, understands group
world dynamics, works well in group settings,
• Continues to grow and learn willing to help others
• Sees the big picture (not just an area of • Diversity-aware, treats others with dignity
specialization) and respect
Skills of interdisciplinary competence
[Brassler, Dettmers, 2017]

• Three components of interdisciplinary competence

• interdisciplinary skills
• reflective behavior
• recognizing disciplinary perspectives

• Interdisciplinary skills
• taking a critical stand on disciplinary limitations
• solving complex problems across disciplines
• communicating across disciplines
• handling interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork
• using integrative potentials to create innovations
I2S Discipline + The science of team science

• Bammer G. 2013. Disciplining Interdisciplinarity: Integration and Implementation

Sciences for Researching Complex Real-World Problems. Canberra The Australian
National University. Commentaries by S. Bronitt et al. Ch. 33. The relationship of
integrative applied research and I2S to multidisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity. pp.
213-220
• Walker D. An I2S Discipline: Legitimate, viable, useful? 279-
• Cram L. 41. Building I2S into an Academic Program. p. 325-331.

•  Stokols D., Hall K. L., Taylor B. K., Moser R. P. 2008. The science of team science:
Overview of the field and introduction to the supplement. American Journal of
Preventive Medicine 35 (2S): S77–S89.
30
TO BECOME ABLE TO MEASURE
INTERDISCIPLINARITY
MAPPING OF DISCIPLINARY DIVERSITY
INDICATORS OF INTERDISCIPLINARITY
 the variety of “disciplines” (i.e., discrete
 Citations within subject research areas, the SCs, shown by the
category. number of nodes in the map)

 Indicators of collaboration  the balance, or distribution, of

disciplines (relative size of nodes)
 Number of cited subject
categories.  the disparity, or degree of difference,
between the disciplines (distance
 Integration Score. between the nodes)
TO BECOME ABLE TO MEASURE INTERDISCIPLINARITY

MAPPING OF DISCIPLINARY DIVERSITY

INDICATORS OF INTERDISCIPLINARITY
 the variety of “disciplines” (i.e., discrete
 Citations within subject research areas, the SCs, shown by the
category. number of nodes in the map)

 Indicators of collaboration  the balance, or distribution, of

disciplines (relative size of nodes)
 Number of cited subject
categories.  the disparity, or degree of difference,
between the disciplines (distance
 Integration Score. between the nodes)
HOW WE DRAW DIFFERENT DISCIPLINARITIES
TO OUR CLASSROOMS
INSTRUCTIVISM VERSUS CONSTRUCTIVISM IN
THE FRAME OF INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH
More suitable for monodisciplinarity More suitable for imntyerdisciplinarity
Simplified flowchart of disciplinary knowledge delivery
according the passive instructivist approach

Teaching
materials

LEGEND: I - instructions; K - quantum of knowledge; Q - questions; A –

answers. HT - home task; C – consulting; ? – 3 member student team.
Simplified flowchart of interdisciplinary knowledge delivery
according the constructivist approach

LEGEND: I - instructions; K - quantum of knowledge; K’ – extended one;

NCK - newly created knowledge; HT - home task; Q - questions; A –
answers; C – consulting; M - moderating.
INSTRUCTIVISM CONSTRUCTIVISM CONNECTIVISM

QUO VADIS?
Teaching/learning approach mix

4th year of BA
Instructivism Constructivism

Connectivism

1st year of BA
Instructivism Constructivism

Connectivism
 HYPOTHETIC INTERDISCIPLINARITY MIX IN HIGHER SCHOOL
CURRICULA DEPENDING ON LEVEL OF EDUCATION
BA1 BA2 BA3 BA4 MA1 MA2 PhD
CD TD
CD TD TD TD
MD CD TD
MD CD CD CD
MD
CD
SD MD MD MD
SD MD
SD
SD SD SD SD

Legend: Borders between the types of disciplinarity have been made according to the rule of thumb and, to our mind,
depend on school science specialization (from hard to soft science) and therefore are not strict ones.
SD – monodisciplinarity; MD – multidisciplinarity; CD – crossdisciplinarity; TD – transdisciplinarity;
Source: Designed by the authors on the basis of relevant literature items referenced herein.
COEXISTENCE UNDER UMBRELLA BUT NOT REPLACING EACH
OTHER

Di ari
sc ty Interdisciplinarity
n
ip
li-

Multi- and
Cross-
Disciplinarity


The very beginning to get
to the Trans-Disciplinary
 Outputs - 1
 In practice, the differences between "disciplinarities" as interpreted by different authors are unclear.
 The IDY may be called an umbrella term in the body of the disciplinarity paradigm.
 The taxonomy of disciplinarity can be reduced to three basic items (multi-, cross-, trans-) where the
main difference between the last item (trans-) is the creation of new quanta of knowledge.
 There are no purely disciplinary curricula, but there is an IDY mix where, with the transition to higher
levels of education (BA-MA-PhD), the level of disciplinarity increases (multi-, cross-, trans-)
 Attempts to quantify and visualize the IDY levels of training courses have been found.
 An ID approach seems to be the most appropriate for modernizing curricula in an advanced
educational organization.
 The ID approach supposes a permanent information exchange between the educational organization
and the business environment where graduates are expected to work.
 The effectiveness of the ID is manifested when teaching/learning processes are rather well integrated
with the research ones.
 Outputs - 2
 The ID should supply students with ability to switch between different general and professional
languages, while avoiding misunderstanding due to scanty foreign vocabulary and/or terminological
polysemy and professional jargon.
 At least one foreign language (primarily English) should be included in ID curricula for modern manager
as a tool of extended communicative competence.
 The IDY approach involves learning in teams during IDY projects or problem analysis
 The IDY approach creates the need for both parallel and alternating co-teaching (guest lecturers from
business included)
 Designing IDY courses requires building relevant teams of IDY instructors.
 Any IDY course should be delivered with the help of mix of teaching technologies based on concepts of
instructivism, constructivism, or connectivism.
 It was hypothesized that increasing the proportion of transdisciplinarity in the IDY mix requires
constructivism techniques, and excessive connectivism may be an obstacle hereto.
THE PRESENT PAPER IS A PRELIMINARY OUTPUT OF THE
RESEARCH SUPPORTED BY GRANT MNG_2020-2021
Integration of language, communication and subject
knowledge in business education: the formation of
interdisciplinary communicative competence
THANK YOU & QUESTIONS, PLEASE.