Amping-up pedagogy through interdisciplinary instruction
A study of the effects of interdisciplinary instruction on undergraduate attitudes and values related to energy issues at the U.S. naval academy
Keywords:
interdisciplinary, education, environment, attitudes, and valuesAbstract
This study makes use of a pre-test/post-test design (with a control group) to test the effect of an interdisciplinary energy course on student attitudes and values related to energy issues. The interdisciplinary energy course was co-taught by engineering, political science, economics, and oceanography professors at the United States Naval Academy during the fall of 2015. The study finds that students in the interdisciplinary energy course experienced significant changes in their energy attitudes on half the categories tested, while students in the control group did not experience similar changes. The changes were greatest among female students, politically moderate students, and engineering students. The findings suggest that interdisciplinary instruction can have a powerful impact on student values, but that the impact works through existing demographic and ideological factors.
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References
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12 JISE, VOL. 6 NO 1, 2017
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13 JISE, VOL. 6 NO 1, 2017
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Whitfield, J. (2008). Group Theory. Nature, 720-723.
Wuchty, S., Jones, B. F., & Uzzi, B. (2007). The Increasing Dominance of Teams in Production of
Knowldege. Science, 1036-1038.
Akerlof, K. L., La Porte, T., Rowan, K. E., Ernst, H., & Brian , B. (2016). Risky Business: Engaging the Public on Sea Level Rise and Inundation. Environmental Science and Policy.
Apostel, G., Berger, G., Briggs, A., & Michaud, G. (1972). Interdisciplinarity: Problems of Teaching and Research in Universities. Paris: Organisationfor Economic Cooperation and Developtment.
Berger, G. (1972). Introduction. In L. Apostel, A. Berger, A. Briggs, & G. Michaud, Interdisciplinarity: Problems of Teaching and Research in Universities (pp. 23-26). Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
12 JISE, VOL. 6 NO 1, 2017
Borrego, M., & Newswander, L. K. (2010). Definitions of Interdisciplinary Research: Toward Graduate- Level Interdisciplinary Learning Outcomes. The Review of Higher Education, 61-84.
Burton, P., & Mustelin, J. (2011). Planning for Climate Adaption: Is Public Participation the Key to Success? Urban Research Program, Griffith University, Queensland, Austalia. .
Carpini, M., Cook, F. L., & Jacobs, L. R. (2004). Public Deliberations, Discursive Participation, and Citizens Engagement: A Review of the Empirical Literature. Annual REview of Political Science , 7, 315-344.
Chubin, D. E., Porter, A. L., Rossini, F. A., & Connelly, T. (1986). Interdisciplinary Research and Analysis. Mt. Airy, MD: Lomond Publications.
Crow, M. M. (2010). Organizing Teaching and Research to Adress the Grand Chanllenges of Sustainable Development. BioScieence, 488-489.
DeCicco, J., Yan, T., Keusch, F., Munoz, D. H., & Neidert, L. (2015). University of Michigan Energy Survey: Year One Report. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Energy Institute and University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.
Fishkin, J. S., & Luskin, R. (2005). Experimenting with Democratic Ideal" Deliberative Polling and Public Opinion. Acta Politica, 284-298.
Frodeman, R., Klein, J. T., & Mitcham, C. (2010). The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity. New York: Oxford University Press.
Gibbons, M., Limoges, C., Nowotny, H., Schwartzman, S., Scott, P., & Trow, M. (1994). The New Production of Knowledge. London: Sage.
Jahn, T., Bergmann, M., & Keil, F. (2012). Transdisciplinarity: Between Mainstreaming and Marginalization. Ecological Economics.
Kessel, F. S., Rosenthfield, P. L., & Anderson, N. B. (2008). Interdsiciplinary Research: Case Studies from Health and Social Sceince. New York: Oxford University Press.
Klein, J. T. (1990). Interdisciplanity: History, Theory, and Practice. Detroit, MI: Wayne State university Press.
Klein, J. T. (1996). Crossing Boundaries: Knowledge, Disciplinarities, and Interdisciplinarities. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press.
Lattuca, L. R., Voigt, L. J., & Faith, K. Q. (2004). Does Interdisciplinarity Promote Learning? Theoretical Support and Researchable Questions. The Review of Higher Education, 23-48.
Ledford, H. (2015). Team Science: Interdisciplinary Has Become All the Rage as Scientists Tackle Society's Biggest Problems. Nature, 305-311.
Moser, S. C., & Ekstrom, J. A. (2001). A Framework to Diagnose Barriers to Climate Change Adaptation. . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Newell, W. H. (2001). A Theory of Interdisciplinary Studies. Issues in Integrative Studies, 1-25. Repko, A. (2008). Interdisciplinary Research: Process and Theory. Sage Publications.
13 JISE, VOL. 6 NO 1, 2017
Rosenfield, P. L. (1992). The Potential of Transdisciplinary Research or Sustaining and Extending Linkages between the Heath and Social Sciences. Social Science and Medicine, 1343-1357.
Stokols, D. (2014). Training the Next Generation of Transdisciplinarians. In M. O. O'Rourke, S. Crowley, S. D. Eigenbrode, & J. D. Wulfhorst, Enhancing Communication and Collaboration in Interdisciplinary Research (p. Ch. 4). Los Angelos, CA: Sage Publications.
Strang, V., & McLeish, T. (2015). Evaluating Interdisciplinary Research: A Practical Guide. Durham, UK: Institute of Advanced Study.
The National Environmental Education & Training Foundation/Roper ASW. (2002). American's Low "Energy IQ:" A Risk to Our Energy Future. Washington, D.C. : The National Environmental Education & Training Foundation/Roper ASW.
Van Noorden, R. (2015). Interdisciplinary Research by the Numbers: An Analysis Reveals the Extent and Impact of Research that Bridges Disciplines. Nature, 306-307.
Vincent , S., Bunn, S., & Sloane, L. (2013). Interdisciplinary Environmental and Sustainability Education on the Nation's Campuses 2012: Curriculum Design. Washington, D.C. : National Council for Science and the Environment.
Vincent, S., Santos, R., & Cebral, L. (2014). Interdisciplinary Environmental and Sustainability Education and Research: Institutes and Centers at Research Universities. Washington, D.C.: The National Council for Science and the Environment.
Whitfield, J. (2008). Group Theory. Nature, 720-723.
Wuchty, S., Jones, B. F., & Uzzi, B. (2007). The Increasing Dominance of Teams in Production of
Knowldege. Science, 1036-1038.
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Published
2017-12-10
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Articles
How to Cite
Amping-up pedagogy through interdisciplinary instruction: A study of the effects of interdisciplinary instruction on undergraduate attitudes and values related to energy issues at the U.S. naval academy. (2017). Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 6(1), 1-14. https://ojed.org/jise/article/view/1756
