Transdisciplinary Enrichment of a Linear Research Process: Experiences Gathered from a Research Project Supporting the European Biodiversity Strategy to 2020

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of a research project conducted by a network of environmental research institutes called Partnership for European Environmental Research (PEER). Our analysis constitutes a reflection on this research project based on a proposed ideal-typical transdisciplinary research process developed by . The aim of the PRESS project (PEER Research on EcoSystem Services) was to provide support for the development and implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, with a special emphasis on the ecosystem services concept. Our analysis of the research phases of the PRESS project shows that not all of the project elements accord with the notion of a full-scale transdisciplinary process. Despite this, a number of lessons can be learned regarding the use of different boundary objects for knowledge integration and the various roles played by researchers. We also identify some constraints with regard to synchronizing policy and project cycles and consider the advantages and disadvantages of research network structures in facilitating long-term cooperation.     

Landscapes of Time: Building Long-Term Perspectives in Animal Behavior*

In the 1960s, scientists fascinated by the behavior of free-living animals founded research projects that expanded into multi-generation investigations. This paper charts the history of three scientists’ projects to uncover the varied reasons for investing in a “long-term” perspective when studying animal behavior: Kenneth Armitage's study of marmots in the Rocky Mountains, Jeanne Altmann's analysis of baboons in Kenya, and Timothy Hugh Clutton-Brock's studies (among others) of red deer on the island of Rhum and meerkats in the Kalahari. The desire to study the behavior of the same group of animals over extended periods of time, I argue, came from different methodological traditions – population biology, primatology, and sociobiology – even as each saw themselves as contributing to the legacy of ethology. As scientists embraced and combined these approaches, a small number of long-running behavioral ecology projects like these grew from short pilot projects into decades-long centers of intellectual gravity within behavioral ecology as a discipline. By attending to time as well as place, we can see how this long-term perspective was crucial to their success; they measured evolutionary changes over generations of animals and their data provided insights into how the animals they studied were adapting (or not) to changing local and global environmental factors.     

Glückliche Fügung: Experiments’ Potential to Integrate Disciplines**

This essay reviews the discipline-connecting potential of experimentation. Two examples are used to illustrate how researchers in the first half of the twentieth century profitably combined resources from different disciplines in their experiments. These experiments were designed to test mechanism models describing chemical processes underlying the behavior of biological systems. The researchers had clear expectations about how certain interventions should affect the behavior of the organisms studied, if that behavior was indeed based on the presumed chemical processes. They manipulated the organisms in the relevant ways and determined how the behavior of the organisms changed as a result.     

Approaches in Post-Experimental Science. The Case of Precision Medicine**

In the introduction to his Spalt und Fuge, Hans-Jörg Rheinberger points to the possibility that we are currently experiencing a new turning point regarding forms of experimentation, which is characterized by the growing importance of high-throughput methods and big data analytics. This essay will explore the thesis that data-intensive research indeed constitutes a form of post-experimental research by interrogating research practices in precision medicine. Section 1 will introduce this thesis and highlight salient features of precision medicine as an example of post-experimental research. Section 2 suggests approach as a category that is broader than experimental system, as discussed by Rheinberger, and can serve to analyze and compare diverse forms of research, including experimental and post-experimental practices. The essay concludes with a reflection on how categories developed for the historiography of recent science might require an update when the science or its context changes (section 3).     

旅游目的地活力认知过程及其影响因素——基于扎根理论的探索性研究

旅游目的地活力在开发规划与营销实践中已被广泛采纳,但其组成内核、形成机理却仍未可知。本文在对旅游目的地活力作为系统整体进行认识的基础上,从旅游者视角,以网络游记文本与深度访谈为资料来源,基于扎根理论的方法探索旅游目的地活力认知过程及影响因素。结果发现,通行衔接与吸引物构成了旅游目的地活力的基本组成要素,两者也是体验反馈的前驱要素,体验反馈是旅游目的地活力认知过程中的后效要素,社会性是传递基本组成要素到体验反馈的关键途径。此外,旅游目的地活力的认知过程还受到自然因素、人文因素、管理因素和发展水平因素的影响,且不同因素的影响效应各有不同。     

我国地理学关于跨国投资的研究进展

本文运用科学计量法与文献研究法,对我国地理学界关于跨国投资的研究进行了综述,发现我国学界在投资时空演变格局、区位选择、驱动因素与效应等方向取得了较为显著的进展,近年来研究的国际化趋势明显。目前中国已经从单纯的外资输入发展为引进与输出结合的双向投资结构,中国的对外投资是近 10年近年的热门话题。 总体而言,相关研究以实证分析为主,经历了从单一理论的借鉴到多理论的整合,视角更多元、内容更多样、方法更综合。空间视角下的计量分析方法和可视化表达是当前跨国投资研究较为热门的方法。未来的研究仍需理论创新,对西方主导的研究视角进行批判性思考,突出地理学科特色。     

Course books for environmental perception and related geographical studies

This paper encourages readers to experiment with inquiry-based learning (IBL) in their courses in the interest of identifying more diverse styles of instruction, and developing a wider understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the methodology. The aims of the paper are to unpack the meanings of IBL, describe some uses of IBL in geography, and discuss their benefits and challenges for students and teachers. IBL is essentially a question-driven, philosophical approach to teaching that involves active, student-centred learning. The teacher acts principally as a facilitator or mentor, guiding and encouraging students through the inquiry process. Examples of IBL are presented, ranging from questioning exercises embedded in the class, through to entire courses or degrees using an inquiry-based approach. Students can benefit greatly from IBL since they are active in the learning process, can have improved understanding, more enjoyable learning, develop valuable research skills, achieve higher-order learning outcomes and perform better academically. Teachers can also benefit through a strengthening of teaching–research links and the clear gains in student engagement and learning. However, in order for IBL to be effective, teachers must be encouraged and supported to take on this facilitating role. When IBL elements are embedded in a more traditional curriculum, particular care needs to be taken so that students and teachers are carefully oriented to the expectations regarding the outcome of learning and teaching in this mode.     

Challenges and Opportunities in Cross-cultural Geographic Inquiry

While qualitative fieldwork in cross-cultural settings is central to human geography, there has been limited focus in the literature on the expectations and skills required to succeed as a field researcher in this area. Some practical advice is available for researchers who are new to cross-cultural fieldwork (e.g. graduate students, junior faculty members) and for advisers preparing young academics for such endeavours; however, themes are often treated individually rather than as a collective whole. This paper provides suggestions for novice field researchers by drawing on the experiences of four female graduate students engaged in qualitative geographic research. It identifies some major issues that influence the feasibility and efficacy of cross-cultural fieldwork, and provides practical suggestions to help prospective researchers plan for and implement field-based research projects in these contexts.     

A Practical Guide to Focus-Group Research

This article guides readers through the decisions and considerations involved in conducting focus-group research investigations into students' learning experiences. One previously published focus-group study is used as an illustrative example, along with other examples from the field of pedagogic research in geography higher education. An approach to deciding whether to use focus groups is suggested, which includes a consideration of when focus groups are preferred over one-to-one interviews. Guidelines for setting up and designing focus-group studies are outlined, ethical issues are highlighted, the purpose of a pilot study is reviewed, and common focus-group analysis and reporting styles are outlined.     

Application of Problem Based Learning through Research Investigation

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a teaching technique that uses problem-solving as the basis for student learning. The technique is student-centred with teachers taking the role of a facilitator. Its general aims are to construct a knowledge base, develop problem-solving skills, teach effective collaboration and provide the skills necessary to be a successful lifelong learner. This study evaluates the application of PBL in an undergraduate Earth Systems Interactions unit and an exercise based around the Urban Heat Island. The initial execution of PBL was mixed with many students fully engaged in the material, but others found the approach insufficiently structured. Some students were not able to adapt to the unusual challenges of PBL, partly because it was their first exposure. When asked about what they had learnt from their PBL experience, the students emphasized the technical rather than the problem-solving skills. In subsequent years, a more directed project-based learning approach was introduced, which improved students' overall satisfaction and performances.