The emergence of interdisciplinary structures in academic project settings

Abstract

This dissertation examines how interdisciplinary structures emerge within academic project settings at universities. Although interdisciplinarity has become increasingly important in higher education and is strongly promoted by policy makers and university leaders, academic disciplines continue to dominate university structures. Existing research has mainly focused on barriers to interdisciplinarity or on formally established interdisciplinary initiatives, leaving limited understanding of how interdisciplinarity develops within traditionally disciplinary environments. This study addresses that gap by exploring how and why interdisciplinary structures can successfully emerge within academic project settings. It investigates the broader question of how new structures emerge across traditional disciplinary boundaries in universities. Three sub-questions guide the analysis: (1) What kinds of interdisciplinary structures emerge in academic project settings and which actors participate in them? (2) How do these actors contribute to the emergence of interdisciplinary structures and what motivates them? (3) Which factors inhibit or facilitate the emergence of interdisciplinary structures? These questions are addressed based on a longitudinal ethnographic single-case study of a project for inclusion-oriented and inclusive teacher training at a German university. Data were collected through participatory observation, focus groups discussions, interviews, and analysis of documents and websites. Data analysis followed principles of constructivist grounded theory and was complemented by a social network analysis of co-publications. Findings show that interdisciplinary structures develop as a dynamic social process shaped by both structural conditions and collective agency. Different forms of interdisciplinary collaboration emerged, varying in focus, organisation, and participants’ understandings of interdisciplinarity. The dissertation proposes a typology of interdisciplinary actors, distinguishing routine actors, sense-making actors, and two kinds of strategic actors – pure interdisciplinarians and pragmatic interdisciplinarians - who actively promote interdisciplinarity, yet grounded in different motivations. Key barriers included epistemic differences and the discipline-based organisation of universities. Important facilitating factors were organisational support, flexible interdisciplinary formats, and protection from traditional university structures. The study further highlights the role of temporary project settings in making disciplinary boundaries more permeable and enabling organisational change.