Interdisciplinary Research Advantages And Disadvantages

Introduction We live in an increasingly interconnected world. Human actions stretch to and resonate in every part of the world. Because of increased global connectedness, humanity now faces a myriad of new challenges, complexities, and problems. More and more, academics, educators, policymakers, and researchers have advocated for an interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving in a twenty-first century world with its growing complexities and new challenges. Interdisciplinary research is becoming increasingly important for meeting societal needs and addressing real-world issues that demand collaborative and integrative approaches.
Disciplinary, Multidisciplinary, and Interdisciplinary Approaches to Research There are several approaches to

Interdisciplinary research involves integrating knowledge and methods from different disciplines, using a synthesis of approaches (Repko et al., 2017). Basically, in interdisciplinary research, incorporating perspectives from multiple disciplines allows people to construct a more comprehensive understanding of a problem being addressed (Repko et al., 2017). There are both advantages and disadvantages to interdisciplinary research. The main advantage is that interdisciplinary research both draws from and integrates the different backgrounds and perspectives of multiple disciplines and then combines them into a single functioning unit, which allows for a more comprehensive understanding of a problem (Repko et al., 2017). Interdisciplinary research fosters greater critical thinking, synthesizes multiple disciplines, and develops life-long learning skills (Jones, 2010). The main disadvantage of interdisciplinary research is that sometimes there’s difficulty in establishing lines of connection between multiple disciplines. Also, at times, interdisciplinary research can lack coherence and a sense of purpose (Benson, 1982). For an interdisciplinary approach to work effectively, there must be mutual trust and respect between collaborators. Also, there must be an equal sharing of insights, perspectives, and knowledge between individuals from different disciplines with the singular aim of planning, goal-setting and

It has involved multiple stakeholders in areas such as environmental science, community development and planning, business entrepreneurship, social work, and environmental and social justice. Traditionally, the relationship between these stakeholders has been one of proximity, but not integration. Now there are calls for greater interdisciplinary focus and collaboration to meet the economic and societal needs of people that are environmentally more sustainable. There needs to be greater recognition among the different disciplines involved, that the link between the economy, society, and nature is intrinsically interdisciplinary. An interdisciplinary approach requires stakeholders to move beyond inflexible and traditional ways of thinking and problem-solving and embrace collaboration, creativity, innovation, and novel insights and perspectives. There must also be recognition among stakeholders that each singular discipline, once integrated within an interdisciplinary framework of other disciplines, greatly increases the potential for collaboration, knowledge-building, and problem-solving when developing new approaches to environmental