Interdisciplinary Knowledge Flow in International Higher Education Research: Characteristics and Mechanisms

Abstract

Interdisciplinary knowledge flow provides methodological and theoretical support for solving complex problems in higher education. Based on Darcy’s law, this study constructs a three-dimensional analysis framework for knowledge slope, knowledge stickiness, and flow medium, and combines it with bibliometric methods to analyze key words, references, and other information in 10 journals in JCR 1 or 2 higher education research (HER) fields from 2000 to 2022, so as to explore the characteristics and mechanisms of interdisciplinary knowledge flow in HER. The results show that, in the process of interdisciplinary knowledge flow in HER, the spillover amount of knowledge exchange between HER and other disciplines/fields is less than the absorption amount, and the direction of knowledge flow is knowledge-importing. The phenomenon of reciprocal assimilation between HER and other disciplines/fields is significant, and the knowledge network shows the characteristics of family resemblance. Interdisciplinary knowledge flow in HER is influenced by three factors, among which knowledge slope plays a promoting role, knowledge stickiness plays a hindering role, and the flow medium has a gatekeeper effect in the process.