Preparing Emerging Doctoral Scholars for Transdisciplinary Research: A Developmental Approach.

Area of Science:

• Social Work Research
• Interdisciplinary Studies
• Translational Science

Background:

• Increasing demand for collaborative research addressing complex social and environmental issues.
• Social work's inherent integrative nature requires enhanced training for transdisciplinary and translational research.
• Need to equip emerging scholars with advanced research methodologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline a developmental, competency-oriented approach for transdisciplinary research training in social work.
• To describe pedagogical tools for enhancing doctoral students' and emerging scholars' readiness.
• To advocate for enhanced transdisciplinary training capacity within the social work field.

Main Methods:

• Development of a competency-based training framework.
• Identification and description of pedagogical tools for doctoral programs.
• Review of current training needs and capacities in social work research.

Main Results:

• A structured approach to developing transdisciplinary research competencies is presented.
• A suite of pedagogical tools suitable for doctoral coursework and program elements is described.
• The paper highlights the necessity for a coordinated effort to bolster transdisciplinary training.

Conclusions:

• Enhanced transdisciplinary training is crucial for social work scholars to address complex societal problems effectively.
• The proposed competency-oriented approach and pedagogical tools can improve research readiness.
• Further investment and coordination are needed to strengthen the field's capacity for transdisciplinary research.