Research Monograph
Individual and Distributed Cognitions in Interdisciplinary Teamwork: A Developing Case Study and Emerging Theory
Sharon J. Derry, Lori Adams DuRussel, and Angela M. O'Donnell
Abstract
We present a developing distributed cognition theory of interdisciplinary collaboration that incorporates concepts from both situated cognition and information processing theory. This theoretical framework is being refined as it is used for analyzing interdisciplinary collaboration within the National Institute for Science Education (NISE). Our analyses are intended to improve scientific understanding of collaborative processes that influence productivity and quality of interdisciplinary work within the NISE and beyond. A critical group meeting in the early development of one interdisciplinary working team is analyzed using language and ideas from our theoretical perspective.