Investigating the Potential of Interdisciplinary Collaborations between Education and Science/Engineering in Higher Education

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Autor/in	McCance, Katherine Raenah
Titel	Investigating the Potential of Interdisciplinary Collaborations between Education and Science/Engineering in Higher Education
Quelle	(2021), (166 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit Ph.D. Dissertation, North Carolina State University
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
ISBN	979-8-7806-5021-8
Schlagwörter	Hochschulschrift; Dissertation; Engineering Education; Science Education; Interdisciplinary Approach; STEM Education; Educational Change; Educational Objectives; Universities; College Faculty; Research Reports; Postdoctoral Education; Graduate Students; Teacher Attitudes; Student Attitudes; Productivity; Writing (Composition) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Thesis; Dissertations; Academic thesis; Ingenieurausbildung; Naturwissenschaftliche Bildung; Fächerübergreifender Unterricht; Fächerverbindender Unterricht; Interdisziplinarität; STEM; Bildungsreform; Educational objective; Bildungsziel; Erziehungsziel; University; Universität; Fakultät; Research report; Forschungsbericht; Graduate Study; Student; Students; Aufbaustudium; Graduiertenstudium; Hauptstudium; Studentin; Lehrerverhalten; Schülerverhalten; Produktivität; Schreibübung
Abstract	The topic of interdisciplinarity has attracted interest and attention in academia for several decades. The intention behind interdisciplinarity is that bringing together experts from different disciplines--who have different knowledge and skills but shared interests or goals--will generate innovative ideas and novel approaches to societal and global challenges. There have been calls for (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) STEM and Education departments to collaborate on STEM and educational reforms. Universities and funding agencies encourage academics to collaborate across disciplines, yet siloed, disciplinary practices remain common. This dissertation presents three studies that investigated interdisciplinary collaborations between Education and Science/Engineering disciplines, using quantitative and qualitative methods. This research provides a holistic perspective to better understand the nature of interdisciplinary collaborations and informs efforts aimed at promoting interdisciplinarity to attain national STEM and educational goals. The first study used a systematic literature review process to understand the nature of Education and Science/Engineering interdisciplinary collaborations, the methods that have been used to study them, and outcomes of the collaborations that have been reported in the extant literature from 2009 to 2021. Using PRISMA guidelines, a Boolean search of three major databases, and a backward snowball method, 13 peer-reviewed articles were identified and included in the analysis. Findings revealed that studies typically focused on the outcomes of programs and courses that interdisciplinary collaborators developed, and rarely reported on collaborators' experiences with and perceptions of collaboration. Most articles used qualitative methods to research or evaluate small samples; large or multi-institutional studies were uncommon, as were explicit links to theory. This study suggests the need for future research to investigate interdisciplinary collaborations at a larger scale, with explicit theoretical framing, and a need to explore the perceptions and experiences of those involved in interdisciplinary collaborations. A second quantitative study surveyed faculty, staff, postdocs, and graduate students, from 62 universities and research organizations in 31 U.S. states who were involved in Education and Science/Engineering interdisciplinary collaborations to better understand their perceptions. Exploratory Factor Analysis was conducted separately to validate two modified scales, Collaboration Perceptions (CP; N = 117; 17 items; [alpha] = 0.923) and Interdisciplinarity Perceptions (IP; N = 119; 11 items; [alpha] = 0.852). Non-parametric statistical analyses indicated that participants' perceptions of collaboration and interdisciplinarity were strongly positive and not significantly different based on demographic factors (e.g., gender, discipline, role). Perceptions were influenced by individuals' Collectivism orientation, or their orientation toward group work and group goals; the High Collectivism group had significantly more positive perceptions of collaboration and interdisciplinarity than the Moderate Collectivism group. Collectivism orientation was positively correlated with and a significant predictor of CP and IP scores. Measuring perceptions of collaboration and interdisciplinarity may be useful to study, evaluate, or compare Education and Science/Engineering teams over time to support interdisciplinary collaborative practices. The third study qualitatively analyzed open response data from a national U.S. sample of 113 faculty, staff, postdocs, and graduate students involved in Education and Science/Engineering collaborations to better understand their views of interdisciplinarity. Participants had a range of conceptualizations of interdisciplinarity, and they most frequently described approaches that aligned with a multidisciplinary, rather than interdisciplinary, approach. Some participants believed disciplines had inherent differences that affected interdisciplinary collaboration work, but just as many did not believe differences were due to disciplinary affiliation. Integration of multiple disciplines, team structure, interpersonal characteristics, productivity, research and writing, and institutional support all were cited as salient factors in their collaborations, and challenges were identified for each. This study's findings will help guide individuals, teams, and institutions toward fostering effective collaboration experiences. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.] (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01