Page 16 - Interdisciplinary Approach to Research

from hugging the area of their expertise when the need for research presents itself, they should

rather step out of their academic comfort zones and seek more diverse and elaborated focus.

Disadvantages of Interdisciplinary Research Approach

Interdisciplinary research approach could be challenging for a field like environmental

studies because it is a physical science, which employs quantitative methodology like surveys

which is used in the collection of large amounts of observational or statistical data. Although the

challenges associated with physical sciences and environmental studies are common across the

research scope, they also involves people and their attitudes towards nature, which could be

understood and measured through a sociological or legal perspective. Unlike the previous

example, this type of research require going from a physical or life science to a social science,

which has a very different way of collecting and analyzing data (White, 2003).

Working between physical and social sciences can be a challenge because according to

White (2003) the perspectives are often very different, and in some cases, conflicting. For

example, a scientist that is used to collecting and analyzing soil samples in a lab may find it

challenging to switch to qualitative interviewing, which requires conducting in-depth interviews

with individuals to gain different perspectives on a specific question or event (White, 2003).

Two researchers working in different fields might have to get over their initial shyness

and admit they don't know a lot about each other's area. One of the most fascinating findings

associated with interdisciplinary research is the different ways of thinking that typically

characterizes biologists and computer scientists. The biologist gathers knowledge, which often

describes his or her work as if telling a story, strives to draw conclusions and construct models

that are just as common as rules in our biological world. In contrast with the logic and process-

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