Interdisciplinary learning for corporate social responsibility and sustainability across business and psychology

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Abstract
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), sustainability, and responsible management are inherently interdisciplinary fields. However, higher education often remains monodisciplinary, limiting students' ability to integrate multiple perspectives. This present study explores the implementation of Interdisciplinary Problem-based Learning (iPBL) as a pedagogical approach that brings together students from business, economics, and psychology to collaboratively address complex CSR challenges. Over the course of a semester, students engaged with five interdisciplinary problem cases, structured around an eight-step learning process, to develop integrative solutions to issues such as negotiation and conflict resolution, sustainable work environments, corruption, mental health, and institutional change. The evaluation results, based on the HEsaCom scale, indicate that iPBL enhances key competencies across disciplines. Students reported gains in knowledge processing, systematic competence, personal competence, cooperation competence, and communication competence—core competencies emphasized in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Responsible Management Education (RME). The present findings are consistent with extant research in the domains of constructivist learning, interdisciplinary education, and sustainability-oriented pedagogy, highlighting the role of psychological perspectives in strengthening critical thinking, ethical reflection, and collaborative problem-solving. Whilst the study confirms the short-term benefits of iPBL, further research is required to assess long-term competency retention and the scalability of this model across different institutional contexts. Practical implications include the integration of structured interdisciplinary formats into business school curricula as well as the development of faculty training to support cross-disciplinary teaching. By explicitly including psychological content and learners, this study contributes a novel perspective to the evolving landscape of RME.
Funding Information
  • Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel

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