Bounded – The neglected threshold concept characteristic

ABSTRACT

The threshold concepts framework provides educators with a useful way of thinking about the struggles students have in coming to know essential, hard to grasp knowledge. A threshold concept is often best understood through reference to eight characteristics that together describe what is critical to effective knowledge acquisition. This conceptual paper hones in on just one of these characteristics – the bounded quality – that we propose is the most overlooked, but important, of the characteristics. The bounded characteristic frames the unique knowledge of a discipline and reflects its particular world-view. In this critical review, we analyse examples from threshold concepts scholarship: first, to explore the limitations of overlooking what the bounded characteristic has to offer, and second, to show how attention to ways of thinking and practising (WTP), may help to bring the bounded characteristic into focus, and reveal it as another non-negotiable threshold concept characteristic.

KEYWORDS:

• Threshold concepts
• student learning
• ways of thinking and practising

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sarah Barradell

Sarah Barradell’s research interests are centred around health professional education and ways to help students learn for changing practice.

Tracy Fortune

Tracy Fortune has a keen interest in the history of allied health disciplines and their practices, and how curriculum, teaching and learning can bring together these understandings to support advanced graduate practice.