open access

https://doi.org/10.14943/112886

https://hdl.handle.net/2115/94466

The Reality of Communication Mediated by Conceptual Diagrams among Researchers in Different Disciplines : A Case Study of Concept Visualization in Interdisciplinary Collaborative Research

日本語

boundary object

2025-03

北海道大学 高等教育推進機構 オープンエデュケーションセンター 科学技術コミュニケーション教育研究部門（CoSTEP）

Japanese Journal of Science Communication

36

31-44

Conceptual diagrams are increasingly being used to represent research ideas and goals and for communication in multidisciplinary and collaborative studies. However, there are very few investigations into how researchers use them to communicate with each other, and studies on the nature of conceptual diagrams themselves are rare. This article presents a case study of dialogue mediated by conceptual diagrams in an interdisciplinary collaborative research project. We clarify what was discussed during the process of visualizing the research concept, and examine how the researchers interpreted and communicated using conceptual diagrams. Our results reveal that the multiple semantics of the iconography initially caused difficulties in communication, but that these were moderated by use of conceptual diagrams. Our study of how the conceptual diagrams were interpreted additionally revealed differences in understanding on the part of project members, even among researchers in the same discipline. We propose conceptual diagrams as potential boundary objects, in that they can identify differences in thinking between participants. Moreover, participants used the graphical expressions in the conceptual diagrams to rearrange the elements composing the research concept, and this process helped to further refine the research concept. Conceptual diagrams thus have potential as a tool for encouraging interdisciplinary communication.

紀要論文

Version of Record

1881-8390

AA12317666