The transdisciplinary nature of educational and developmental psychology

Academia is arranged around disciplinary units that categorise defined scholarly areas of focus. Yet, despite common preconceptions about isolated ivory towers and siloed work, research in some areas, including educational and developmental psychology, has been ahead of its time in breaking down disciplinary boundaries. Indeed, while transdisciplinary work remains an aspirational goal for many academic disciplines, the necessary attitudes and practices are part of the DNA of educational and developmental psychology.

The precise origins of educational and developmental psychology are unclear, but early engagement with the subject can be traced back at least as far as Aristotle and Plato. These ancient thinkers were some of the first to consider concepts such as learning and the different capacities of individuals, as well as questions around the optimisation of the educational experience. Much of the work that has followed in the centuries since has been built upon these philosophical underpinnings which treat educational and developmental psychology as inseparable from politics, society, and ethics, and even as integrally linked to art, literature and music.

Transdisciplinary research is research that is conducted across, through or even beyond the boundaries of academic disciplines, and is, ideally, both holistic and connected to the real world (Jeder, 2014, p. 127). Despite the similar sounding terminology, transdisciplinary research should not be confused with intradisciplinary (i.e., single discipline; Jensenius, 2012; Wyborn et al., 2017), multidisciplinary (i.e., different disciplines working together, with each relying on knowledge of own independent discipline; Fawcett, 2013; Jensenius, 2012; Wyborn et al., 2017), cross-disciplinary (i.e., looking at one discipline from the perspective of other; Jensenius, 2012; Wyborn et al., 2017), or interdisciplinary (i.e., synthesis of the knowledge and methods of different disciplines; Fawcett, 2013; Jensenius, 2012; Wyborn et al., 2017) research. In transdisciplinary work, by contrast, the barriers between the individual academic units are brought down or transcended so that new complexities can emerge and be understood in pursuit of social, economic and conceptual gains. In the case of educational and developmental psychology, transdisciplinary research is a necessary component, as the work must, by definition, reach out from the academic ivory tower to provide real world outcomes. In doing so, the intricate reciprocity that exists between theory, research and practice blends with a focus on the social systems and the people we ultimately serve. At its best, this work cuts across political and national fault lines to produce findings that are globally applicable.

The well-established positioning of educational and developmental psychology as both an area of professional practice and a topic of scholarly research means that it is well placed to continue forging links between professional and scholarly perspectives. Moreover, the ongoing work of educational and developmental psychologists in broad and diverse practice settings (e.g., clinical, school, hospitals, aged care, organisations, et cetera), as well as the positioning of educational and developmental psychology in varied academic communities, means that the scholarly work undertaken in this area will naturally continue to be transdisciplinary. As a result, the field will continue to serve as a nexus for cooperation, collaboration and the sharing of intellectual discourse (Priest, 2020) in a way that impacts networks beyond academia. In fact, as you will see in the current issue, Volume 38, Issue 1 (2021), the collection of articles reflect evidence of a broad range of transdisciplinary branches and topics from mathematics, teacher education, psychology, counselling, sociology, and linguistics as well as international perspectives from eight countries (e.g., Turkey, UK, Australia, Japan, Poland, Philippines, Israel, Croatia) (Arslan, 2021; Balaž et al., 2021; Campbell et al., 2021; Chen et al., 2021; Cruickshank Campbell et al., 2021; David & Bernardo, 2021; Erdağ, 2021; Iida et al., 2021; Khawaja & Howard, 2021; Marlow & Rehman, 2021; Orr et al., 2021; Soliman et al., 2021; Tan et al., 2021). These articles reflect the ongoing transdisciplinary nature of educational and developmental psychology research and work around the world.