Tangled in tensions: a practice architectures study of embodied approaches in transdisciplinary higher education

Allen, L

Tangled in tensions: a practice architectures study of embodied approaches in transdisciplinary higher education

Allen, L

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Publisher:: ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: STUDIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Allen, L https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4091-2875
dc.date.accessioned	2025-08-06T04:35:05Z
dc.date.available	2025-08-06T04:35:05Z
dc.identifier.citation	STUDIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION
dc.identifier.issn	0307-5079
dc.identifier.issn	1470-174X
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/189277
dc.description.abstract	As universities strive to prepare students for increasingly complex global challenges, embodied teaching and learning approaches demonstrate significant value in transdisciplinary higher education yet, understanding of how these practices are enacted and sustained within universities is limited. Through an action research case study with eight educators, this inquiry examined how institutional arrangements enable and constrain embodied approaches within a transdisciplinary higher education setting. Analysis using the Theory of Practice Architectures revealed complex interactions between the arrangements, highlighting five tensions educators must navigate: (1) contested notions of ‘proper learning’, (2) personal and embodied histories, (3) access to learning communities, (4) experimentation within institutional constraints, and (5) disciplinary values and transdisciplinary integration. These findings extend practice architectures theory through its application in transdisciplinary higher education and the relational mapping of arrangements, revealing how social informal learning and embodied histories help educators navigate and transform institutional tensions.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
dc.relation.ispartof	STUDIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1080/03075079.2025.2518222
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	1301 Education Systems, 1303 Specialist Studies in Education
dc.subject.classification	Education
dc.subject.classification	3903 Education systems
dc.subject.classification	3904 Specialist studies in education
dc.title	Tangled in tensions: a practice architectures study of embodied approaches in transdisciplinary higher education
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.for	1301 Education Systems
utslib.for	1303 Specialist Studies in Education
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Provost
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Provost/TD School
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Provost/Provost Related HDR Students
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-08-06T04:35:04Z
pubs.publication-status	Published online

Abstract:

As universities strive to prepare students for increasingly complex global challenges, embodied teaching and learning approaches demonstrate significant value in transdisciplinary higher education yet, understanding of how these practices are enacted and sustained within universities is limited. Through an action research case study with eight educators, this inquiry examined how institutional arrangements enable and constrain embodied approaches within a transdisciplinary higher education setting. Analysis using the Theory of Practice Architectures revealed complex interactions between the arrangements, highlighting five tensions educators must navigate: (1) contested notions of ‘proper learning’, (2) personal and embodied histories, (3) access to learning communities, (4) experimentation within institutional constraints, and (5) disciplinary values and transdisciplinary integration. These findings extend practice architectures theory through its application in transdisciplinary higher education and the relational mapping of arrangements, revealing how social informal learning and embodied histories help educators navigate and transform institutional tensions.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/189277