Alternative Conceptions of Interdisciplinarity in Educational Research: A Philosophical Analysis

Abstract

Interdisciplinarity in school settings is frequently described in educational literature as aconcept with multiple or competing meanings, yet these claims have rarely beenexamined through systematic analysis of research discourse itself. This paperinvestigates how interdisciplinarity is understood through its use within a corpus ofeducational research. Drawing on contextualized conceptual analysis informed byordinary language philosophy, the study analyses all occurrences of the term in theselected studies rather than focusing only on explicit definitions. The analysis identifiesthree recurring dimensions structuring its use: teleological (educational aims),procedural (forms of disciplinary connection), and material (school disciplines). Withinthe teleological and procedural dimensions, distinct orientations emerge, reflectingdifferent understandings of the purposes and scope of interdisciplinarity. Theircombinations yield six recurring configurations of use, which serve as a heuristic mapof the concept’s logic of use rather than as fixed categories or a new stipulativedefinition. These configurations illuminate how different uses of interdisciplinarityoverlap without coinciding. The findings substantiate claims of conceptual diversity inthe literature while clarifying the structured ways in which interdisciplinarity isunderstood in research. The discussion further considers whether the identifiedorientations correspond to different purposes of education more broadly. Bydemonstrating how contextualized conceptual analysis can map variation ineducational concepts, the paper contributes both to philosophical discussions ofinterdisciplinarity and to broader debates about meaning and conceptual clarity ineducation.