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'It is ambiguous, but I know what I am doing': undergraduates' experiences and agency in an interdisciplinary programme.

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Title: 'It is ambiguous, but I know what I am doing': undergraduates' experiences and agency in an interdisciplinary programme.
Authors: Zou, Tracy X. P. (AUTHOR), Casupanan, Yasmine Colette (AUTHOR), Poon, Henry K. H. (AUTHOR), Wong, Serena Y. O. (AUTHOR), Park, Ji Hyun (AUTHOR), Hoang, Andrew Pau (AUTHOR)
Source: Studies in Higher Education. Mar2026, Vol. 51 Issue 3, p579-591. 13p.
Subjects: Interdisciplinary education, Liminality, Problem solving, Higher education, Autodidacticism, Student engagement
Abstract: Responding to the increasing need to develop graduates with capabilities for solving complex problems, interdisciplinary degree programmes are growing in numbers. However, few studies have investigated undergraduate students' learning experiences in these programmes despite acknowledging such experiences can be challenging and confusing. Moreover, the current understanding of experiences in interdisciplinary programmes is also limited by the lack of studies that fully recognise the liminality in students' experience and their agency. We drew on the concepts of liminality and agency to analyse student learning experiences in one interdisciplinary programme integrating arts, science, and social sciences. Data were collected from 29 semi-structured interviews conducted by four student co-researchers. Our main findings are that students exercised their agency in different forms, for example, finding their anchors and pursuing a second major, in response to the liminality of the learning environment. Some individuals creatively anchor their experiences with their own aspirations, allowing them to find directions to move forward in interdisciplinary learning. The implications are to avoid presenting a single way of navigating interdisciplinarity and to support students' agency by helping them find their aspirations and anchors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Studies in Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: 'It is ambiguous, but I know what I am doing': undergraduates' experiences and agency in an interdisciplinary programme.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Studies+in+Higher+Education%22">Studies in Higher Education</searchLink>. Mar2026, Vol. 51 Issue 3, p579-591. 13p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interdisciplinary+education%22">Interdisciplinary education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Liminality%22">Liminality</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Problem+solving%22">Problem solving</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+education%22">Higher education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Autodidacticism%22">Autodidacticism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+engagement%22">Student engagement</searchLink>
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  Data: Responding to the increasing need to develop graduates with capabilities for solving complex problems, interdisciplinary degree programmes are growing in numbers. However, few studies have investigated undergraduate students' learning experiences in these programmes despite acknowledging such experiences can be challenging and confusing. Moreover, the current understanding of experiences in interdisciplinary programmes is also limited by the lack of studies that fully recognise the liminality in students' experience and their agency. We drew on the concepts of liminality and agency to analyse student learning experiences in one interdisciplinary programme integrating arts, science, and social sciences. Data were collected from 29 semi-structured interviews conducted by four student co-researchers. Our main findings are that students exercised their agency in different forms, for example, finding their anchors and pursuing a second major, in response to the liminality of the learning environment. Some individuals creatively anchor their experiences with their own aspirations, allowing them to find directions to move forward in interdisciplinary learning. The implications are to avoid presenting a single way of navigating interdisciplinarity and to support students' agency by helping them find their aspirations and anchors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Studies in Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=192007615
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        Value: 10.1080/03075079.2025.2481987
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              Text: Mar2026
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