Practical Strategies for Collaboration across Discipline-Based Education Research and the Learning Sciences
Open accessAbstract
Rather than pursue questions related to learning in biology from separate camps, recent calls highlight the necessity of interdisciplinary research agendas. Interdisciplinary collaborations allow for a complicated and expanded approach to questions about learning within specific science domains, such as biology. Despite its benefits, interdisciplinary work inevitably involves challenges. Some such challenges originate from differences in theoretical and methodological approaches across lines of work. Thus, aims at developing successful interdisciplinary research programs raise important considerations regarding methodologies for studying biology learning, strategies for approaching collaborations, and training of early-career scientists. Our goal here is to describe two fields important to understanding learning in biology, discipline-based education research and the learning sciences. We discuss differences between each discipline’s approach to biology education research and the benefits and challenges associated with incorporating these perspectives in a single research program. We then propose strategies for building productive interdisciplinary collaboration.
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Prior literature advocated for interdisciplinary, collaborative research between biology education researchers and biology learning sciences, developmental cognitive psychologists, and other discipline-based education researchers to bring diverse perspectives, resulting in more and better solutions.
“For example, prior literature advocated for interdisciplinary, collaborative research between biology education researchers and biology learning sciences [49], developmental cognitive psychologists [50], and other discipline-based education researchers (e.g., physics education, chemistry education, geosciences education [51] to bring diverse perspectives, viewpoints, experiences, and expertise to”
From "It let me merge my love of teaching with research": A qualitative investigation of the career pathways of biology education researchers. (2024) · cites this paper as [49]
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Design-based research: Putting a stake in the ground
Barab, S., & Squire, K. (2004) · Journal of the Learning Sciences · doi:10.1207/s15327809jls1301_1 · Cited by 2,642 · cited 5× · see citing works
“THE LEARNING SCIENCES The broad aim of learning sciences research is to understand learning, cognition, and development in both laboratory and classroom settings (Barab and Squire, 2004).”
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Driessen, E. P., Steele, A. L., Costello, R. A., Brewer, P., & Ballen, C. J. (2024) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0312243 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
- Authors
- Peffer, M., & Renken, M.
- Affiliations
- Georgia State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Peffer, Melanie
- Venue
- CBE—Life Sciences Education
- Published
- 2016-12
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- es11
- ISSN
- 1931-7913 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5132378
- OpenAlex
- W2553800361
- Cited by
- 40
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 4
- FWCI
- 6.32
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-sa
- Locations
- CBE—Life Sciences Education (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Information Systems and Management › Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration
- Social Sciences › Education › Science Education and Pedagogy
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Evolution and Science Education
- Keywords
- interdisciplinary collaboration, discipline-based education research, learning sciences, biology education research, research methodology, science education research
- MeSH terms
- Cooperative Behavior, Humans, Learning, Research, Science, Models, Educational, Interdisciplinary Communication, Interdisciplinary Studies
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