Faculty Perceptions of their Disciplinary Cultures: Re-Evaluating Biglan’s Dimensions

Abstract For fifty years, the Biglan dimensions have been frequently relied on by researchers interested in considering disciplinary differences as parts of their studies; however, applying a cultural lens draws attention to the possibility that over time, disciplinary cultures may have changed. This exploratory study examined faculty perceptions of their disciplinary cultures by adding an item set derived from common definitions and descriptors of Biglan’s dimensions onto the 2022 Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE). For 680 faculty at four-year colleges and universities, across 98 disciplines, results indicated that our items formed three scales of disciplinary cultures – Consensus, Pure Scholarship, and Life Systems – that align with Biglan’s dimensions. Faculty perceptions of their disciplinary cultures showed considerable variation across all three scales and disciplinary means and clusters do not necessarily align with how disciplines would be categorized using the Biglan dimensions. Our findings suggest the possibility that the cultures of some disciplines have evolved and that scholars should exercise caution in how they interpret dichotomous or categorical applications of Biglan’s dimensions to understanding faculty work.