Characterising the transdisciplinary research approach (original) (raw)
Related papers
Advances in transdisciplinary engineering, 2022
Engineering disciplines are paying increasing attention to transdisciplinary (TD) working. The terminology of single, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary lacks clarity. Consequently, there is currently no consensus on what defines a TD research approach. This makes it difficult to implement and measure the impact of TD and TD working. Clear definition of the approach and understanding of where TD is most applicable is needed because the education of tomorrow's engineers can only be realised if researchers build upon coherent theoretical frameworks. This paper draws on theory to define TD and then aims to reduce confusion and instill clarity by identifying when TD as a research approach should or should not be used. This is achieved by answering the research question: when might it be beneficial to take a TD rather than single, multi or interdisciplinary research approach? Survey responses from twenty-eight authors (50%) who presented papers at the 28 th ISTE International Conference on Transdisciplinary Engineering (TE2021) were qualitatively analysed. Findings show institutional barriers to TD adoption may prevent the benefits of TD engineering research from being realised. Rather than the research approach itself, it is the environment in which we do our research, one which is decided long before our work begins, that will determine if any meaningful benefits from TD are realised.
Concepts of transdisciplinary engineering: a transdisciplinary landscape
International Journal of Agile Systems and Management, 2021
The term 'transdisciplinary' is receiving increased attention within engineering academic and research funding communities. We survey authors of papers presented at the 27 th ISTE International Transdisciplinary Engineering Conference (TE2020) to answer two research questions: 1) How do authors define transdisciplinary engineering? 2) What do authors perceive differentiates interdisciplinary engineering research from transdisciplinary engineering research? Responses from thirty-four participants (50%), are qualitatively analysed. Results show that for the three characteristics commonly used in characterisations of transdisciplinarity (goal, collaboration and integration), multiple concepts exist. These range from generic expressions which overlap with how interdisciplinarity is defined within the general literature, to stronger, more definitive expressions. Conclusions find that rather than a single definition a transdisciplinary landscape exists. To enable users to define where they sit in the transdisciplinary landscape, we create a framework enabling users to map their position under the three key characteristics of goal, collaboration and integration.
When and Where Is Transdisciplinary Engineering Applied in Projects? A Case Study
Advances in Transdisciplinary Engineering, 2019
Transdisciplinary engineering (TE) is gaining attention in academic literature and comes with the underlying assumption of being the next evolutionary step for incorporating engineering solutions in practice. We seek to answer the question of when TE is appropriate and what the conditions are for efficient applications of TE in practice. A framework for analysis is constructed integrating TE with theory of communication and strategic paradox. The framework is used as a lens in a single explorative case of an multi-university research project. The project brings together researchers from a diverse range of disciplines, working together to create a novel device that could have a transformative impact on specific cancer healthcare. Data is collected using structured interviews with project researchers. The main finding from the case study is that TE does not appear to be employed at all levels of abstraction. In this case TE is found to be employed at the strategic level, while tactica...
Transdisciplinary Engineering Research Challenges
2018
Transdisciplinary research (TDR) has been the subject of discourse in the past few decades, but has bot been studied much in the context of engineering problems. Many engineering problems can be characterized as ill-defined, like open innovation, adoption of new technology, business development, and the adoption of the Industry 4.0 concept. Transdisciplinary engineering research (TDER) is also performed in large projects by multi-disciplinary teams, as in TDR projects, including stakeholders and people from practice. Such projects may last long, often years. In such large projects, the involved disciplines should include both engineering disciplines as well as disciplines from social sciences. In this paper we address the challenges that exist in adopting a TDER approach. Universities need to prepare students to work in TDER projects. We discuss the current situation in transdisciplinary engineering education (TDEE) and identify challenges that need to be addressed for including TDE...
Developing and Testing a General Framework for Conducting Transdisciplinary Research
Sustainability
Complex societal problems cannot be resolved without transdisciplinary research (TDR). Currently, there is no focused communication platform or commonly shared research framework for conducting TDR. The current study is a continuation of the exploration of collaborations in multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and TDR to identify ideas that could contribute to developing and testing a general framework for conducting TDR. The systematic literature review in this study discovered three main themes (TDR initiation, TDR management, and transdisciplinary knowledge exchange). These themes formed three phases of a general framework for conducting TDR. The novelty of the presented phased general framework for conducting TDR relates to the type of learning and outputs that are required at the end of each related action of all associated stages of the three phases to enable all participants to participate in TDR. The logical sequence of these actions and associated stages and phases were ve...
Transdisciplinary research: characteristics, quandaries and quality
Futures, 2006
There is a shifting landscape for knowledge generation in contemporary societies that suggests a bright future for transdisciplinary (TD) research. Interestingly, however, there is currently no clear consensus on what transdisciplinarity is or how its quality can be evaluated. This paper uses three avenues to advance and clarify our understanding of transdisciplinarity. Firstly, we survey the theoretical literature and identify key characteristics used by authors in the field to distinguish transdisciplinarity from related research approaches. These characteristics are problem focus, evolving methodology and collaboration. In our discussion of these we highlight variations in description that have significance for practice. Secondly, we explore three interesting quandaries that transdisciplinary researchers face (integration, reflection and paradox) discussing how these quandaries manifest in different dimensions and their potential as both challenge and opportunity for practice. Finally, we use our synthesised characteristics and challenges to shape two alternative frameworks for evaluating the quality of TD endeavours. Our first framework is based on strategic questioning and is potentially useful to individuals seeking to improve the quality of their work. Our second framework adapts an existing quality schema to the unique challenges of transdisciplinarity and may be more appealing to those seeking to compare TD research projects. r
Methodological challenges of trans-disciplinary research: some systemic reflections
Natures Sciences Sociétés, 2008
Christian Pohl et Gertrude Hirsch Hadorn présentent dans cet article les bases conceptuelles et méthodologiques de la recherche transdisciplinaire telle qu'elle est développée et défendue dans le cadre du réseau td-net qu'ils animent tous les deux pour les Académies suisses des sciences. C'est pour NSS l'occasion de s'ouvrir aux approches interdisciplinaires d'autres courants européens, ici celui de la "transdisciplinarité". Nous publierons, dans le prochain numéro, une réaction à cet article de la part de Ray Ison, Professeur de Sciences des Systems à l'Open University (Milton-Keynes, UK)... en attendant celles d'autres lecteurs.
Engineering education research in Australia is a burgeoning field. The literature and theory on transdisciplinary research presents some valuable ideas for justifying, designing and evaluating engineering education research. Engineering education research is a transdisciplinary endeavour in both a literal sense (in that it draws on knowledge from the disciplines of engineering and education), and in a formal theoretical sense, given that transdisciplinarity is defined as problem solving through 'the context specific negotiation of knowledge'. In this paper, we describe three outcomes that transdisciplinary research aspires to (problem-solving, peer approval, and mutual learning) and a case study of their application in shaping engineering education research. The case study details a research project titled 'Teaching and Assessing Meta-attributes in Engineering: Identifying, Developing and Disseminating Good Practice'. This project commenced late in 2006 and is funded by the Carrick Institute for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. This work is part of a much broader discourse globally concerned with research and scholarship in engineering education and its impact on the practice of engineering schools. For example, the ASEE has launched the "Year of Dialogue on Scholarship in Engineering Education" and the National Science Foundation in the US is conducting a series of Colloquy to determine the main research questions and themes in engineering education. As engineering education emerges as a discipline in it own right, we need to consider carefully the nature of knowledge in this field and how we acquire and share it.