Do We Need to Close the Door on Threshold Concepts?

Figures & data

Table 1. Summary of the characteristics of a threshold concept. Adapted from Reeping, 2019. ³

Quality	Description
Bounded	‘Possibly often [though not necessarily always] bounded in that any conceptual space will have terminal frontiers.’ I.e., May only have a specific purpose in a discipline.
Discursive	‘We would argue further that as students acquire Threshold Concepts, and extend their use of langue in relation to these concepts, there also occurs a shift in the learner’s subjectivity…’ I.e., Can involve an extended or enhanced use of language.
Integrative	‘They may be… integrative [exposing the previously hidden interrelatedness of something].’ I.e., May bring together several disparate concepts, perhaps in an unexpected way.
Irreversible	‘Probably irreversible’. ‘Unlikely to be forgotten, or only unlearned through considerable effort’. I.e., A student’s new way of thinking, or new perspective, is unlikely to revert to its prior state.
Reconstitutive	‘… the engagement by the learner with an unfamiliar knowledge terrain and the ensuing reconceptualization may involve a reconstitution of, or shift within, the learner’s subjectivity, and perhaps identity’. I.e., May cause a shift in the student’s subjectivity
Transformative	‘They may be transformative [occasioning a significant shift in the perception of a subject].’ I.e., Potential changes to how a student sees/thinks about a discipline
Troublesome	‘Potentially, and possibly inherently, troublesome’. ‘[Threshold Concepts] may also be troublesome and/or they may lead to troublesome knowledge’. I.e., Likely to be an issue for students to learn, may be counterintuitive
Liminal	‘Difficulty in understanding Threshold Concepts may leave the learner in a state of ‘liminality’, a suspended state of partial understanding, or ‘stuck place’, in which understanding approximates to a kind of ‘mimicry’…’  I.e., TCs involve a state of ‘in-betweenness’ through which students oscillate between troublesome knowledge and understanding, trialing inauthentic behavior

Table 2. Summary of theoretical terminology and critique of threshold concepts’ ‘fit’ with each of these terms.

Positioning	Definition	Key definitional references	Issues with threshold concepts when they adopt this position	Key critical references
Concept	Concepts are general ideas regarding how the world and empirical observations relate- they are the definitional terms (e.g. of ‘mastery’ or ‘mentorship’) that are the basis for theory-building.	Varpio L, Paradis E, Uijtdehaage S, Young M. The Distinctions Between Theory, Theoretical Framework, and Conceptual Framework. Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. 2019 Nov 12.	There are many criticisms of TCs when they are positioned as a concept. A full overview is beyond the scope of this paper. In sum, several scholars have noted that TCs do not fit a multitude of definitions of the term ‘concept’, positivist scholars have lamented a lack of objective TC measurements, and confusion has been evident in how ‘threshold’ concepts differ from ‘core’ or ‘basic’ concepts within education.	Salwén H. Threshold concepts, obstacles or scientific dead ends?. Teaching in Higher Education. 2019; 22:1-4. Rowbottom D. Demystifying threshold concepts. Journal of Philosophy of Education. 2007;41[2]:263-70. O’Donnell R. Threshold concepts and their relevance to economics. ATEC 2009: 14th Annual Australasian Teaching Economics Conference [pp 190-200] Brisbane, Queensland: School of Economics and Finance, Queensland University of Technology. 2009. Nicola-Richmond K, Pépin G, Larkin H, Taylor C. Threshold concepts in higher education: a synthesis of the literature relating to measurement of threshold crossing. Higher Education Research & Development. 2018;37(1):101-14.
Theory	Varpio et al. define theories as more specific “set[s] of propositions that are logically related [and] express… the relation[s] among several different constructs”. Theories explain the relationships between concepts. Karl Popper famously argued that theories should be falsifiable, in the sense that they propose something that can be tested. As explanations of how things work, theories can be classified according to “explanatory power”- theory may be “grand” i.e. when it attempts to explain a large social landscape, ^“middle-range” i.e. when it seeks to connect high-level social theory to more specific aspects of human interaction, or “micro” when it concerns individual-level phenomena.	Varpio L, Paradis E, Uijtdehaage S, Young M. The Distinctions Between Theory, Theoretical Framework, and Conceptual Framework. Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. 2019 Nov 12.	Salwén notes that TCs possess poor explanatory power as there is no clarity regarding what patterns of behavior or perceptions correspond to the different definitional criteria (e.g. transformative, bounded etc.) of a TC. Mac Suibhne criticizes the use of TCs within psychiatry education, highlighting a lack of conceptual clarity in defining and identifying TCs as a theory. Barradell notes this position is most populous within medical education but suggests treating TCs as a concept would be most true to source.	Salwén H. Threshold concepts, obstacles or scientific dead ends?. Teaching in Higher Education. 2019; 22:1-4. Mac Suibhne S. Threshold concepts and teaching psychiatry: key to the kingdom or emperor’s new clothes? Ir J Psychol Med 2012;29:132-4. Barradell S. The identification of threshold concepts: A review of theoretical complexities and methodological challenges. Higher Education. 2013;65[2]:265-76.
Educational framework	Educational frameworks encompass educational goals against which trainee competence or progress is evaluated. According to Pangaro and ten Cate, “frameworks should enable educators to determine to what extent trainees are ready for advancement… [providing] a valid mental model of competence and also terms to describe successful performance”. There are three sorts of educational frameworks- analytic, synthetic and developmental. Analytic frameworks conduct evaluation of trainee competence through “deconstruct[ing] competence into individual pieces”. Synthetic frameworks view competence more holistically and undertake evaluation of “real-world activities”. Developmental frameworks conceptualize learning as a trajectory and focus on “stages… or milestones in the progression towards competence”. Although frameworks may overlap in nature, they tend to adopt one of these three perspectives most heavily.	Pangaro L, Ten Cate O. Frameworks for learner assessment in medicine: AMEE Guide No. 78. Medical Teacher. 2013 Jun 1;35(6):e1197-210.	The term ‘framework’ has sprung forth from the critique of TCs as a concept, and as a theory, yet there are also issues with TC’s fit with the term ‘framework’. Although some authors have used TCs to inform discipline-specific educational frameworks for curriculum redesign, this is not the way in which TCs have been most commonly discussed- indeed, Reeping et al note a distinct lack of literature concerning TC “curriculum renewal”. Further, when TCs are used to restructure or revise curricula in a way more concordant with the purpose and use of educational frameworks, they are very rarely used to blueprint assessment, a key educational framework role. This may be due to the questions that surface regarding the appropriateness of treating the target for threshold concept transformation – identity- as an objective and measurable marker of competence.	Reeping D, McNair LD, Harrison SR, Knapp RB, Lester LF, Martin T, Patrick AY, Wisnioski M. How are Threshold Concepts Applied? A Review of the Literature. In: Proceedings of the 2018 ASEE Annual Conference 2017 (pp. 25-28). Quinlan KM, Male S, Baillie C, Stamboulis A, Fill J, Jaffer Z. Methodological challenges in researching threshold concepts: a comparative analysis of three projects. Higher Education. 2013; 1;66(5):585-601.
Research framework	A research framework is the structure guiding researchers in the selection and refinement of research questions, methods, and analysis. Within research, two sorts of frameworks are commonly discussed- conceptual frameworks and theoretical frameworks. Conceptual frameworks provide the justification for why a study is necessary- according to Varpio et al. they describe “the state of known knowledge”, identify gaps in this knowledge, and outline the study’s “methodological underpinnings”. Theoretical frameworks are “logically developed and connected sets of concepts and premises- developed from one or more theories- that a researcher creates to scaffold a study”.	Varpio L, Paradis E, Uijtdehaage S, Young M. The Distinctions Between Theory, Theoretical Framework, and Conceptual Framework. Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. 2019 Nov 12. Hughes S, Davis TE, Imenda SN. Demystifying Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks: A Guide for Students and Advisors of Educational Research. J Soc Sci. 2019;58(1-3):24-35.	Where TCs are referred to as “conceptual frameworks”, ^58 “theoretical frameworks”, ^55 “analytical frameworks”, ^59 ^, ^60 or “heuristic frameworks”, ^24 within research, these terms are used in ways that diverge from their consensus definitions. As conceptual and theoretical frameworks are ultimately researcher constructions specific to an individual piece of research, and TCs are a more general approach to research, they fail to satisfy the above definitions for classification as a research framework.	A new critique borne of this research.

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