INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH IN PEDAGOGICAL RESEARCH: METHODOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS, CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35433/pedagogy.3(122).2025.3Keywords:
interdisciplinarity, pedagogy, research methodology, integration of knowledge, critical thinking, philosophy of scienceAbstract
The article examines the interdisciplinary approach as a methodological basis for modern pedagogical research. The relevance of the topic is due to the complexity of educational phenomena that arise at the intersection of cognitive, sociocultural, psychological and technological factors. Traditional disciplinary frameworks are less and less able to meet the challenges of digitalisation, globalisation and the intensification of knowledge transformations in education. Interdisciplinarity is seen as a response to the need for a comprehensive analysis and updating of scientific approaches in pedagogy.
The purpose of the article is to analyse the theoretical and philosophical foundations of interdisciplinarity, its differences from multidisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity, and to identify the potential for integrating pedagogy with psychology, sociology, cognitive science and information technology. Particular attention is paid to the formation of a research culture among master's students majoring in Vocational Education (Digital Technologies), the development of their critical thinking and epistemological reflection.
The article reveals the methodological principles of interdisciplinary research – openness, integration, reflexivity, emergence, contextuality and transparency. The philosophical foundations of interdisciplinary thinking are analysed, in particular, post-nonclassical rationality, constructivism, and a systematic approach. Typical challenges are considered: epistemological incompatibility of disciplines, methodological insufficiency of researchers' training, institutional barriers and ethical dilemmas. Applied aspects of the use of interdisciplinary methods in master's research by students of speciality A5.39 "Vocational Education (Digital Technologies)" are presented. The article also emphasises the need to form a research culture of young researchers capable of interdisciplinary cooperation, critical thinking and creative adaptation to new scientific conditions. It is concluded that interdisciplinarity is not only a tool for scientific analysis, but also a worldview position necessary for the transformation of educational reality in the modern world.
References
Barry, A., & Born, G. (2013). Interdisciplinarity: Reconfigurations of the social and natural sciences. In Interdisciplinarity Routledge, 1-56 [in English].
Bilohur, V., & Oleksenko, R. (2025). Filosofiia nauky i transformatsiia naukovykh metodiv u XXI stolitti [Philosophy of science and transformation of scientific methods in the 21st century]. Humanities Studies, (22(99)), 176-184 [in Ukrainian].
Bremner, P.A., & Air, C. (2025). Innovative interdisciplinary pedagogical approaches to enhance students' learning experiences and benefit them in their future development. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 17(1), 150-162 [in English].
Chaikovska, H., & Levchyk, I. (2022). Interdisciplinary integration of education for sustainable development into higher education institution (integrated ESP case study). Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University Journal. Pedagogical Sciences, (2(109)), 195-211 [in English].
da Silva, M.A.S., & Sibertin-Blanc, C. (2017, May). A stylized model of individual-society interaction based on Luhmann’s theory. In International Workshop on Multi-Agent Systems and Agent-Based Simulation. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 121-140 [in English].
Filipenko, A.S. (2025). Chapter One: Interdisciplinarity as a Global Trend in Research and Education. In Interdisciplinarity in International Relations: Theory, Methodology, Evidence, vol. 1, 1-20 [in English].
Frodeman, R. (2021). Interdisciplinarity and the dilemmas of knowledge. In Bridging Research Disciplines to Advance Animal Welfare Science: A Practical Guide. CABI, 63-71 [in English].
Frodeman, R., Klein, J.T., & Pacheco, R.C.D.S. (eds.). (2017). The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity. Oxford University Press [in English].
Gorban, Yu., & Oliinyk, O. (2024). Mediahramotnist yak chynnyk zakhystu informatsiinoho prostoru vid vorozhoi dezinformatsii v chas viiny [Media literacy as a factor in protecting the information space from hostile disinformation during wartime]. Ukrainskyi informatsiinyi prostir – Ukrainian information space, 1(13), 194-205 [in Ukrainian].
Haripottawekul, A., & Wang, L.Q. (2025). Collaborative, interdisciplinary and student-led approaches in undergraduate research, teaching, and learning. Athens Journal of Education, 12, 1-18 [in English].
Holley, K.A. (2020). Interdisciplinary curriculum and learning in higher education. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education [in English].
Horn, A., Urias, E., & Zweekhorst, M.B.M. (2022). Epistemic stability and epistemic adaptability: Interdisciplinary knowledge integration competencies for complex sustainability issues. Sustainability Science, 17, 1959-1976 [in English].
Hulai, O.I. (2020). Kontseptsiia STEM u diialnosti hurtka materialoznavstva Maloi akademii nauk [The concept of STEM in the activities of the materials science circle of the Junior Academy of Sciences]. Naukovi zapysky Maloi akademii nauk Ukrainy – Scientific Notes of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 3(19), 10-19 [in Ukrainian].
Kim, J., Florian, L., & Pantić, N. (2022). The development of inclusive practice under a policy of integration. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 26(10), 1068-1083 [in English].
Klein, J.T. (1990). Interdisciplinarity: History, Theory, and Practice. Wayne State University Press [in English].
Klein, J.T., & Falk-Krzesinski, H.J. (2017). Interdisciplinary and collaborative work: Framing promotion and tenure practices and policies. Research Policy, 46(6), 1055-1061 [in English].
MacLeod, M. (2018). What makes interdisciplinarity difficult? Synthese, 195, 697-720 [in English].
Martin, F., Xie, K., & Bolliger, D.U. (2022). Engaging learners in the emergency transition to online learning during the COVID 19 pandemic. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 54(S1), S1-S13 [in English].
Mittelstrass, J. (2018). The order of knowledge: From disciplinarity to transdisciplinarity and back. European Review, 26(S2), S68-S75 [in English].
Misiewicz, J. (2016). Concrete challenges of doing interdisciplinary work. In Interdisciplinary Studies: A Connected Learning Approach. Rebus Community. Retrieved from: https://press.rebus.community/idsconnect/chapter/the-challenges-of-doing-interdisciplinary-work/ [in English].
Nicolescu, B. (2012). Transdisciplinarity: The hidden third, between the subject and the object. Human and Social Studies, (01), 13-28 [in English].
Ohiienko, O.I. (2013). Interdystsyplinarnist suchasnoi pedahohiky: metodolohichnyi aspekt [Interdisciplinarity of modern pedagogy: methodological aspect]. In Interdyscyplinarność pedagogiki i jej subdyscypliny, eds. Z. Szarota & F. Szlosek. Krakow: Pedagogical University of the National Education Commission in Krakow; Maria Grzegorzewska University of Special Education in Warsaw, 114-123 [in Ukrainian].
Repko, A.F., & Szostak, R. (2021). Interdisciplinary Research: Process and Theory (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications [in English].
Slukhenska, N.V., Biriuk, I., & Nazymok, Ye. (2024). Mizhdystsyplinarnist u suchasnomu naukovo-pedahohichnomu dyskursi [Interdisciplinarity in contemporary scientific and pedagogical discourse]. Imidzh suchasnoho pedahoha – The image of a modern teacher, 2(215), 19-23 [in Ukrainian].
Stupnytskyi, O., & Pryiatelchuk, O. (2021). Mizhdystsyplinarnyi pidkhid do formuvannia universalykh kompetentsii [Interdisciplinary approach to the formation of universal competencies]. Ekonomika ta suspilstvo – Economy and society, 25, 47-53 [in Ukrainian].
Turvey, R.A. (2015). Interdisciplinarity in sustainability science: Challenge or opportunity? International Journal of Information Systems and Social Change, 6(1), 41-58 [in English].
Vienni Baptista, B., Fletcher, I., & Lyall, C. (2023). Understanding interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research. In Foundations of Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Research. Bristol University Press [in English].
Vereijken, M.W.C., Akkerman, S.F., te Pas, S.F., van der Tuin, I., & Kluijtmans, M. (2022). "Undisciplining" higher education without losing disciplines: Furthering transformative potential for students. Higher Education Research & Development, 42(7), 1762-1775 [in English].
Wu, X., Yang, Y., Zhou, X., Xia, Y., & Liao, H. (2024). A meta-analysis of interdisciplinary teaching abilities among elementary and secondary school STEM teachers. International Journal of STEM Education, 11(1), 38 [in English].
Wuelser, G., Adler, C., Breu, T., Hirsch Hadorn, G., Wiesmann, U., & Pohl, C. (2021). On which common ground to build? Transferable knowledge across cases in transdisciplinary sustainability research. Sustainability Science, 16, 1891-1905 [in English].
Yezhel, I.M. (2024). Rolʹ interdystsyplinarnykh prohram u vyshchii osviti: perevahy ta vyklyky [The role of interdisciplinary programs in higher education: advantages and challenges]. Pedagogichna Akademiia: Naukovi zapysky – The Pedagogical Academy: research notes, (3) [in Ukrainian].
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors published in this journal agree to the following terms:
a) The authors reserve the right to author their work and grant the journal the right to first publish this work under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which allows others to freely distribute the published work with a mandatory link to the authors of the original work and the first publication of the work therein magazine.
b) Authors have the right to enter into separate additional agreements regarding the non-exclusive distribution of the work in the form in which it was published by this journal (for example, posting work in an electronic repository of the institution or publishing as part of a monograph), provided that the reference to the first publication of the work is maintained therein. magazine.
c) Journal policy permits and encourages the submission of manuscripts by the authors on the Internet (for example, in repositories of institutions or on personal websites), both prior to submitting this manuscript to the editorial board and as it contributes to the emergence of productive scientific discussion, and has a positive impact on the promptness and dynamics of citing a published work (see The Effect of Open Access).
ISSN 
