Disciplinary Differences Research Articles

Letters from Filadelfia: Early Latino Literature and the Trans-American Elite

Letters from Filadelfia: Early Latino Literature and the Trans-American Elite

Prioritizing diversity? The allocation of US federal R&D funding

AbstractWe examine the distribution of federal research and development funding across the academy early in the researcher’s pipeline. We use a unique program, the US National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), to document diversity and disparity in allocation and assess the relative impact of federal funding across four different academic divisions that include engineering, life sciences, math and physical sciences, and social sciences and psychology. After controlling for disciplinary differences in research practices, we find that the impact of federal funding yields similar rates and impact of research. However, we document disparity in how federal funding is allocated across the country to institutions and individuals. Together, these findings prompt a discussion around the trade-offs of funders focusing on national priorities or broadening participation. We conclude with recommendations for the GRFP.

Disciplinary differences in the experience of online education among teachers and students in Chinese universities during COVID-19.

Online education has advantages during COVID-19, but it also has problems related to hardware support and user experience. Focusing on teaching quality by discipline is an effective way to improve teaching quality in universities. To investigate the online education experience from the perspective of different academic disciplines, we evaluated 251,929 student questionnaires and 13,695 teacher questionnaires from 334 universities in China. The main finding was a difference in teaching preparation, experience, feedback, and improvement processes by disciplines. Teachers and students had obvious disciplinary differences in preparation, school support, and teaching constraints. However, disciplinary differences were minor for pedagogical issues such as participation, assignments, and grading, as well as for evaluation of platform technical support and views on the continuation of online learning. The research results analyzed the teaching psychology of teachers and students in different disciplines during the pandemic. Therefore, it explained the impact and role of discipline differences on students’ learning psychology during COVID-19. This research will benefit educators, researchers, and policy makers to help them with the improvement of online education.

Advancing the understanding of the flipped classroom approach with students' perceptions of the learning environment: variation between academic disciplines

Abundant research supports the benefits of the flipped classroom approach on learning outcomes. Yet how students evaluate the flipped learning environment remains largely unknown. The present study aims to investigate 1) the students’ perceptions of their flipped learning and 2) whether disciplinary differences can be observed in students’ perceptions. Drawing upon the theoretical framework outlined in Brame (2013), our findings illustrated that students (N = 407) from different disciplines do vary their evaluation of the flipped learning environment. Those whose academic disciplines related to the application of knowledge evaluated the four components – exposure, incentive, assessment, and activities – more positively than those whose academic disciplines focus more on theoretical exploration. It is noteworthy that how subject knowledge is developed does not influence perception of the flipped learning environment. Such findings can supplement the traditional outcome-based approach of flipped classroom research by understanding the learning environment. All in all, the findings can point to practical and theoretical implications for designing a flipped classroom environment, highlighting the needs in designing the learning environment.

Sport diplomacy: an integrative review

ABSTRACT In the fields of politics, history and international relations, the phrase sport diplomacy has attracted a growing multi-disciplinary interest in debate around relations between different actors. In this article we trace the emergence of academic literature connected to sport diplomacy and further identify the relevant empirical, conceptual and theoretical frames used to study sport diplomacy. Using an integrated review approach, we collected peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2000 and 2020, with 224 articles subsequently analysed for key attributes such as research location and type of diplomacy. The results and discussion support and challenge some current tropes connected to sport diplomacy research, such as the overreliance on case studies, lack of theoretical consistency and dominance of research from higher-income countries. Further, we highlight opportunities for scholars to develop empirical and theoretical bridges between fields to overcome disciplinary differences and engage with the growing organisational interest to operationalise sport diplomacy. This review of sport diplomacy literature and opens up lines of inquiry for sport management and sport development scholars to further advance our understanding of sport diplomacy.

A corpus analysis of disciplinary identity in evaluative journal articles: A Systemic Functional Linguistics approach

This study investigates the discursive construction of identity in the largely neglected register of evaluative journal articles (e.g., critiques, rebuttals). The study looks at how disciplinary identity is constructed in this register through the use of the subjective first-person pronoun I from a Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) perspective. This is done through the analysis of: (1) the variation of I in evaluative journal articles across six disciplines (i.e., Applied Linguistics, Biology, History, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science) and (2) the process types (e.g., material, mental) that authors use with I to construct a particular disciplinary identity. Findings show that social science and humanities authors use I much more frequently than hard science authors, but also that the frequency of I in the hard sciences is not negligible when compared to previous research. Another important finding is that disciplinary differences are reflected in both the frequency and use of process types. The findings are highly relevant for teaching graduate students discipline-appropriate ways of identity construction in evaluative registers, such as critiques.

DISCIPLINING THE ANTHROPOCENE

ABSTRACTIn this review essay, I examine Julia Adeney Thomas, Mark Williams, and Jan Zalasiewicz's The Anthropocene: A Multidisciplinary Approach. As indicated by the book's subtitle, the authors stress the necessity of approaching the Anthropocene from a multidisciplinary perspective as opposed to an interdisciplinary one. I consider how the authors do this by analyzing the different disciplinary approaches they adopt from fields ranging from geology and Earth system science to anthropology and history. What will become clear is that, rather than seeking to synthesize the relevant knowledge that is produced by these disciplines, the authors envision the Anthropocene as an analytical lens through which multiple forms of knowledge can be produced. Given the disparate timescales and complex phenomena that are implied by the Anthropocene, this multidisciplinary approach avoids many of the epistemic problems that have beset certain attempts to situate the Anthropocene within a grand synthetic framework that is governed by a singular theory and linear historical narrative. In addition to showing that the Anthropocene must be viewed from a range of different disciplinary perspectives in order to be understood, the book illustrates how it is possible to bring into conversation diverse forms of knowledge from the sciences and the humanities without undermining the disciplinary differences and methods that produced those forms of knowledge in the first place.

Two Roads Converge: The Interchange Between the Mental Health and Legal Discourses in Sexual Assault Trials

Disciplinary differences between mental health and legal discourses limit the implementation of mental health knowledge (MHK) in legal proceedings. This study examined the interchange between these discourses, focusing on sexual assault cases that required testimonies of mental health expert witnesses (MHEWs) in Israel. 42 multi-perspective interviews including 16 MHEWs and 26 legal practitioners were analyzed using critical discourse analysis. Participants’ statements relayed three depictions of the interchange between mental health and legal discourses: a dichotomized one, which regards both discourses as incompatible; a tactical one, which regards MHK as beneficial when serving legal interests; and a radical one, which regards MHK as imperative to legal discretion, placing therapeutic considerations ahead of legal ones. The study provides a first empirical analysis of the law-mental-health interchange. In particular, it identifies an emerging practice of therapeutic-legal ("theralegal") discretion, which reflects an understanding that legal considerations alone cannot address complex criminal legal issues.

Lexicons of Key Terms in Scholarly Texts and Their Disciplinary Differences: From Quantum Semantics Construction to Relative-Entropy-Based Comparisons.

Complex networks are often used to analyze written text and reports by rendering texts in the form of a semantic network, forming a lexicon of words or key terms. Many existing methods to construct lexicons are based on counting word co-occurrences, having the advantage of simplicity and ease of applicability. Here, we use a quantum semantics approach to generalize such methods, allowing us to model the entanglement of terms and words. We show how quantum semantics can be applied to reveal disciplinary differences in the use of key terms by analyzing 12 scholarly texts that represent the different positions of various disciplinary schools (of conceptual change research) on the same topic (conceptual change). In addition, attention is paid to how closely the lexicons corresponding to different positions can be brought into agreement by suitable tuning of the entanglement factors. In comparing the lexicons, we invoke complex network-based analysis based on exponential matrix transformation and use information theoretic relative entropy (Jensen–Shannon divergence) as the operationalization of differences between lexicons. The results suggest that quantum semantics is a viable way to model the disciplinary differences of lexicons and how they can be tuned for a better agreement.

Developing interdisciplinary consciousness for sustainability: using playful frame reflection to challenge disciplinary bias

A major challenge for interdisciplinary teamwork on complex sustainability issues is the often-conflicting disciplinary perspectives and underlying values and assumptions among collaborators. Interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers and practitioners therefore requires interdisciplinary consciousness (IC): epistemological and metaphysical understanding and appreciation of one’s own and others’ disciplinary views and their differences. Since it cannot be assumed that professionals have IC, there is a need for explicit training, for instance in higher education. We developed Frame Reflection Lab (FRL)—a playful intervention to stimulate the development of IC through frame reflection—and investigated its application among cross-disciplinary student teams collaborating on sustainability issues. We aimed to understand how frame reflection can contribute to enhancing IC, by analyzing the written and oral reflections of 23 Master’s degree students. We found that the FRL intervention contributed to the development of IC as it sparked cognitive, affective, and critical reflection; created a safe space for reflection; helped participants to articulate values and assumptions; and balanced structure and freedom. Our findings demonstrate that to prepare sustainability professionals for interdisciplinary collaboration, deeply rooted and possibly unconscious preconceptions have to be challenged to build awareness and appreciation of disciplinary differences. This calls for explicitly facilitating affective processes, for instance using playfulness, whereas training in reflection and interdisciplinarity usually focuses on cognitive processes. These findings are promising in terms of informing and inspiring future efforts to use playful frame reflection in education, research, and practice to support interdisciplinary collaboration to address complex sustainability issues.

Measuring the prevalence of open access in Canada: A national comparison

For two decades, open access (OA) has gained momentum worldwide. However, adoption of OA in Canada is lagging compared with other countries. Using data from Dimensions and Érudit, this paper provides an overview of OA dissemination in Canada, focusing on the effect of institutions, language, and funding. Papers in French, and from Quebec universities, are more likely to be OA, while papers from engineering-oriented institutions are less likely to be OA. Regarding funders, those in health sciences have higher OA compliance. The paper concludes discussing disciplinary differences in OA dissemination, low compliance to OA mandates in Canada, and the role of Érudit.

The barriers and informational needs of students and junior researchers when reading scientific papers

AbstractStudents and junior researchers are important stakeholders in scholarly publishing, but there is relatively little research into their reading needs and barriers. This study hoped to understand the similarities and differences between junior researchers and students, between this group and more senior researchers and between different disciplines. The research comprised two parts: initial interviews to ascertain the main barrier and needs items, followed by a large‐scale online survey. The survey received 673 responses from Chinese students and junior researchers. The survey revealed that poor presentation leading to poor understanding was a common barrier, but there were disciplinary differences, with humanities scholars having fewer barriers than other disciplines. Postgraduates reported more barriers than undergraduates, and also scored information needs more highly. The results identify needed improvements in the presentation of articles and explanation of terminology in order to better engage with students and junior researchers.

The Recycling of Objective Move in English Research Articles’ Discussion Sections

While numerous studies have scrutinized the rhetorical structures of Research Articles (RAs) through move analysis, it appears that Move Recycling (MR) across RA sections has received little attention. The current study sought to fill this gap by investigating whether the recycling of Objective move (study purposes/questions/hypotheses) in RA Discussion sections, which was previously used in the Introduction, is vulnerable to disciplinary differences. To achieve the study’s objective, 600 English RAs published between 2006 and 2018 in six Soft Science disciplines, with an equal number in each discipline were selected. The move model developed by Weissberg and Buker (1990) served as a road map for analyzing RAs. After identifying the Objective move in RA Introductions, the frequency of its recycling in RA Discussions was calculated and compared across disciplines. The data analysis revealed that disciplinary variations do not result in variations in the recycling of this move in the RA Discussions. It was concluded that the recycling of the Objective move has been established in the sample RA Discussion sections to achieve certain rhetorical functions. The findings may help students, novice researchers, and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) writing instructors understand how Objective move spans in Soft Science RA Discussions.

Perceptions of Research Integrity Climate in Hungarian Universities: Results from A Survey among Academic Researchers

Research integrity climate is an important factor that influences an individual’s behavior. A strong research integrity culture can lead to better research practices and responsible conduct of research (RCR). Therefore, investigations on organizational climate can be a valuable tool to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each group and develop targeted initiatives. This study aims to assess the perceptions on integrity climate in three universities in Hungary. A cross-sectional study was conducted with PhD students, postdocs, and professors from three Hungarian universities. The survey included demographic questions, such as gender, age, scientific field, academic rank, and the Survey of Organizational Research Climate (SOURCE). A total of 432 participants completed the survey. Our results show that postdocs and assistant professors perceived integrity climate more negatively than PhD students and full professors in every survey scale. Contrarily, PhD students perceive more positively than the other groups. Disciplinary differences show that researchers in the Biomedical sciences perceive regulatory bodies to be fairer when evaluating their projects than those in the Natural sciences. Natural sciences also perceive more negatively how the department values integrity when compared to Humanities. Humanities perceive more positively Advisor/Advisee Relations than Biomedical Sciences. Our results suggest that institutions should pay more attention to early career researchers, especially insecure and temporary positions like postdocs and assistant professors. They should provide RCR resources, socialize them in RCR, and set more reasonable expectations. Moreover, department leaders should develop initiatives to foster better integrity climates.

Studies on the use of academic social networking sites by academics and researchers: a review

The present review is an endeavour to understand the use of Academic Social Networking (ASN) sites by academics and researchers during the 2001-2020. The literature indicates existence of disciplinary differences in choice of ASN platforms as well as frequency of use of a particular platform by users belonging to a particular discipline. The strong disciplinary influence could be attributed to variations in social and cultural practices of a particular discipline. The review finds professional visibility as one of the outstanding motivating factors for academics and researchers to join ASN sites. Seeking scholarly answer, accruing citations, seeking expert, sharing research literature by availing self-archiving facilities of ASN sites, exploring collaborative research avenues and job seeking are some other important motivators. The review noticed that alternative metrics have become a strong contender for measuring research impact. The review also found age and gender discrimination, snooping, academic cyber bullying, flooding of ASN sites with substandard literature as some concerns which need concerted attention and suggests more research in these fronts and accordingly modification of ASN interfaces to make them more responsive to user’s needs.

Research coauthorship 1900–2020: Continuous, universal, and ongoing expansion

Abstract Research coauthorship is useful to combine different skill sets, especially for applied problems. While it has increased over the last century, it is unclear whether this increase is universal across academic fields and which fields coauthor the most and least. In response, we assess changes in the rate of journal article coauthorship 1900–2020 for all 27 Scopus broad fields and all 332 Scopus narrow fields. Although all broad fields have experienced reasonably continuous growth in coauthorship, in 2020, there were substantial disciplinary differences, from Arts and Humanities (1.3 authors) to Immunology and Microbiology (6 authors). All 332 Scopus narrow fields also experienced an increase in the average number of authors. Immunology and Classics are extreme Scopus narrow fields, as exemplified by 9.6 authors per Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer article, whereas 93% of Trends in Classics articles were solo in 2020. The reason for this large difference seems to be the need for multiple complementary methods in Immunology, making it fundamentally a team science. Finally, the reasonably steady and universal increases in academic coauthorship over 121 years show no sign of slowing, suggesting that ever-expanding teams are a central part of current professional science.

The features of the interdisciplinary comprehension of Christian religious mysticism

Aim to consider the possibilities and prospects for the formation of interdisciplinary meta-reflection in comprehension of religious and mystical experience. Using the methods of critical philosophical reflection and dialectical logic, the authors analyze the specifics of the diversity of disciplinary approaches and interpretations of religious and mystical experience. At the same time, special attention is given to the factors of interdisciplinary interaction that contribute to the leveling of disciplinary and interpretation differences, which is necessary for the synthesis of new knowledge. Also, authors explain the prospects for the development of meta-reflection of a multidisciplinary space, where there are zones of interdisciplinary interaction.
 The logic of the study made it possible to draw conclusions about the prospects and advantages of interdisciplinary synthesis, which goes through synergy, contributing to the clarification of the archetypes of Christian mysticism and other religions.

Assessing books’ academic impacts via integrated computation of multi-level citation information

PurposeCitations have been used as a common basis to measure the academic accomplishments of scientific books. However, traditional citation analysis ignored content mining and without consideration of citation equivalence, which may lead to the decline of evaluation reliability. Hence, this paper aims to integrate multi-level citation information to conduct multi-dimensional analysis.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, books’ academic impacts were measured by integrating multi-level citation resources, including books’ citation frequencies and citation-related contents. Specifically, firstly, books’ citation frequencies were counted as the frequency-level metric. Secondly, content-level metrics were detected from multi-dimensional citation contents based on finer-grained mining, including topic extraction on the metadata and citation classification on the citation contexts. Finally, differential metric weighting methods were compared with integrate the multi-level metrics and computing books’ academic impacts.FindingsThe experimental results indicate that the integration of multiple citation resources is necessary, as it can significantly improve the comprehensiveness of the evaluation results. Meanwhile, compared with the type differences of books, disciplinary differences need more attention when evaluating the academic impacts of books.Originality/valueAcademic impact assessment of books via integrating multi-level citation information can provide more detailed evaluation information and cover shortcomings of methods based on single citation data. Moreover, the method proposed in this paper is publication independent, which can be used to measure other publications besides books.

Aktual'nye problemy izucheniya social'nyh i gumanitarnyh nauk v kachestve mezhdisciplinarnogo voprosa v yazykovoj srede

In this study, the concept of interdisciplinarity, which is becoming increasingly popular and influential, will be discussed in the context of a relatively long history of disciplinary differences, and will also critically analyze the various definitions of the concept and the problematization of the concept in different contexts.

Construction of Teaching and Learning Cultures in Transnational Pedagogical Development: Discourses Among Palestinian University Instructors

This qualitative study explores teaching and learning cultures in the context of a community-oriented pedagogical development process initiated during Finnish–Palestinian transnational cooperation. Research data include focus group interviews and texts produced during a pedagogical training program with Palestinian university instructors. The study examines teaching and learning cultures as constructed by discourses in and around the Palestinian university. A poststructuralist discourse analysis identified five discourses of teaching and learning: disciplinary differences, traditional and modern education, improving education, sociocultural and religious context, and political and economic circumstances. The study shows that teaching and learning cultures are dynamic and fragmented as they are constructed by the contrasting discourses. The findings suggest that pedagogical development initiatives need to provide spaces for discursive transformation, especially in the transnational context that introduces additional alternative discourses into the institutional cultural meaning-making.