Enhancing Education Research Through Cross-Disciplinary Integration: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

In an era of increasingly complex educational challenges, effective solutions necessitate multi-disciplinary teamwork. The goal of this systematic literature review (SLR) was to identify strategies for encouraging cross-disciplinary collaborations in educational research in order to enhance its societal relevance and transformative impact. The review synthesised findings from 56 peer-reviewed studies published between 2004 and 2024, selected from a pool of 65 sources, including Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC and Google Scholar. The findings revealed that interdisciplinary integration is strengthened by promoting collaborative research teams, engaging community stakeholders, integrating mixed methods, and applying diverse theories to real-world issues. Additional strategies include fostering institutional support, developing interdisciplinary curricula, and leveraging technology. The study concluded that cross-disciplinary approaches offer holistic insights into social issues, fostering innovation and collaboration while addressing gaps often overlooked by single-discipline methods. In this article, a Cross-Disciplinary Educational Research Framework (ICDERF) has been proposed to provide guidelines for researchers to integrate cross-disciplinarity into their work, ultimately advancing educational research practices. This desk research offers novel insights into the benefits of interdisciplinary research, paving the way for more impactful educational solutions.