Interdisciplinarity; Out of Semantic Confusion in Iran

Abstract

Background: The concept of interdisciplinarity that we recognize today, was initially formed in 1920 in the United States. During this period, the United States Social Science Research Council expressed its interest in interdisciplinary research. Interdisciplinarity is a multidimensional word with various meanings and interpretations. It is considered as the newest unknown critical, educational, and organizational concept in the modern academic environment. In this study, we defined interdisciplinarity and the characteristics of the underlying concepts to present an analytical definition of the concept of interdisciplinarity. Methods: Walker and Avant’s concept analysis method was used. This method is a systematic approach often used for analyzing relatively new concepts. In order to obtain and extract the applications of interdisciplinarity and its defining characteristics, we searched different databases and used keywords. Five main domains that form the defining structure of interdisciplinarity were emerged. Those domains include nature, integration, method, goal, and levels of interdisciplinarity. Results: We identified five domains major of “ interdisciplinarity: “nature,” “integration”, “method”, “goal”, and “levels” of interdisciplinarity. Based on the defining attributes a definition is formulated for the concept of interdisciplinarity. Conclusion: This study, achieving a simple and elegant concept, resolved the differences between the different perspectives in this field and helped us design the theoretical and practical model.