Analysis of the impact of interdisciplinary teaching on the Italian university system and the training of its teacher-scholars

Many institutions of higher education have prioritized the incorporation of inter-disciplinary teaching and learning in their curricula. It is widely recognized that students ac-quire substantial knowledge and skills through engagement in interdisciplinary education. Similarly, scholars, aspiring researchers and young assistant professor benefit from their ed-ucational scholarship. However, the question remains: what do scholars learn from engaging in interdisciplinary education? In order to explore this inquiry, I conducted interviews with sixteen mid-career Italian scholars, encompassing both young researchers and assistant pro-fessors. These interviews focused on ascertaining the knowledge acquired by these individuals and the ways in which their contributions were esteemed. Each interviewee operated within the academic context of Italian universities, functioning both as educators for students and as recipients of lessons to enrich their own academic pursuits. The findings of these interviews demonstrate that scholars acquire comprehensive understanding about education, students, interdisciplinarity, their own field of study, their respective universities, and even themselves. Furthermore, the scholars expressed that their endeavors were acknowledged and valued within their interdisciplinary environments, although they were not adequately recognized outside of these specific contexts. The study describes the critical issues and ambitions of scholars who are starting to engage in interdisciplinary education and provides interesting insights into the educational importance of this approach and the related attitude of potential future university teachers and the national academic system towards this educational provi-sion.