The Surprising Persistence of Biglan's Classification Scheme

Simpson, A.

Abstract

Within higher education systems, different institutions deliver different patterns of disciplines. A simple analysis of the structure of that pattern of disciplines across institutions in one higher education system uncovers a surprising relationship. That is, the key dimensions which describe that structure align nearly perfectly with dimensions discovered in a very different context: the Biglan classification scheme. This paper explains correspondence analysis as a mechanism for uncovering structure in simple contingency tables, shows the accuracy of the fit with Biglan's scheme and demonstrates that the analysis also has a measure of predictive validity in its ability to classify previously unclassified disciplines. The study not only acts as a more accurate validation of Biglan's scheme than those previously undertaken, but indicates that a scheme developed in the USA in the 1970s has current validity in a very different higher education system and suggests disciplines as a core genotype of institutions.

Citation

Simpson, A. (2017). The Surprising Persistence of Biglan's Classification Scheme. Studies in Higher Education, 42(8), 1520-1531. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1111323

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 18, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Dec 16, 2015
• Publication Date: 2017
• Deposit Date: Oct 19, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 16, 2017
• Journal: Studies in Higher Education
• Print ISSN: 0307-5079
• Electronic ISSN: 1470-174X
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 42
• Issue: 8
• Pages: 1520-1531
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1111323
• Keywords: Disciplines, Higher education systems, Biglan classification scheme.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1397324