A Systematic Review of Threshold Concepts in Higher Education: Characteristics, Learning Barriers, and Pedagogical Interventions

Laras Firdaus; Ika Nurani  Dewi; Sri Nopita  Primawati; Hulyadi Hulyadi; Sabrun Sabrun; Irham Azmi

doi:10.36312/qerb8q19

Authors

Laras Firdaus Mandalika University of Education
Ika Nurani Dewi Mandalika University of Education
Sri Nopita Primawati Mandalika University of Education
Hulyadi Hulyadi Mandalika University of Education
Sabrun Sabrun Mandalika University of Education
Irham Azmi Mandalika University of Education

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36312/qerb8q19

Keywords:

Threshold concepts, Higher education, Conceptual characteristics, Learning barriers, Pedagogical interventions

Abstract

This systematic review synthesises peer-reviewed empirical and conceptual research on threshold concepts (TC) in higher education published between 2015 and 2025. The review aims to examine how threshold concepts are theorised, operationalised, and empirically investigated across disciplinary contexts, with particular attention to their defining characteristics, associated learning difficulties, and pedagogical implications. Following a rigorous process of database searching, screening, and eligibility assessment, a total of 26 studies were included, comprising 11 peer-reviewed journal articles and 15 articles reporting empirical studies. The analysis integrates qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies to generate three key contributions: (1) a refined synthesis of TC characteristics as epistemic and, in some cases, ontological turning points in learning; (2) a structured categorisation of learning challenges associated with threshold crossing, including cognitive, affective, and contextual dimensions; and (3) an overview of pedagogical approaches designed to support learners during liminal phases. Findings indicate that TC consistently facilitate transitions from surface understanding to disciplinary ways of knowing, although their forms and manifestations vary across fields. While pedagogical interventions increasingly acknowledge the necessity of learning difficulty, robust longitudinal evidence remains limited. The review concludes with practical indicators for educators, and methodological recommendations, especially the need for longitudinal study, mixed methods design, and clearer operational criteria to strengthen future research and curriculum design.

References

Bae, S. H. (2018). Concepts, models, and research of extended education. International Journal for Research on Extended Education, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.25656/01:21634

Barnett, R. (2004). Learning for an unknown future. Higher Education Research & Development, 23(3), 247-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/0729436042000235382

Basgier, C., & Simpson, A. (2020). Trouble and transformation in higher education: Identifying threshold concepts through faculty narratives about teaching writing. Studies in Higher Education, 45(9), 1906-1918. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1598967

Batzli, J. M., Knight, J. K., Hartley, L. M., Maskiewicz, A. C., & Desy, E. A. (2016). Crossing the threshold: Bringing biological variation to the foreground. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 15(4). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.15-10-0221

Beitelmal, W. H., Littlejohn, R., Okonkwo, P. C., Hassan, I. U., Barhoumi, E. M., Khozaei, F., Hassan, A. M., & Alkaaf, K. A. (2022). Threshold concepts theory in higher education-Introductory statistics courses as an example. Education Sciences, 12(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12110748

Braithwaite, D. W., & Sprague, L. (2021). Conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and metacognition in routine and nonroutine problem solving. Cognitive Science, 45(10). https://doi.org/10.1111/cogs.13048

Claus, M. J., Gionfriddo, E., Monahan, J., Whelan, R. J., & Vitha, M. F. (2023). Threshold concepts in analytical chemistry. Journal of Chemical Education, 100(2), 427-431. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.2c00674

Correia, P. R. M., Soida, I. A. I., de Souza, I., & Lima, M. C. (2024). Uncovering challenges and pitfalls in identifying threshold concepts: A comprehensive review. Knowledge, 4(1), 27-50. https://doi.org/10.3390/knowledge4010002

Couch, B. A., Wood, W. B., & Knight, J. K. (2015). The molecular biology capstone assessment: A concept assessment for upper-division molecular biology students. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.14-04-0071

Deacon, M. (2020). Crossing the threshold: Enhancing opportunities for practical enquiry in school science through threshold concepts. The Buckingham Journal of Education, 1(1), 33-52. https://doi.org/10.5750/tbje.v1i1.1831

Fiedler, D., Trobst, S., & Harms, U. (2017). University students conceptual knowledge of randomness and probability in the contexts of evolution and mathematics. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.16-07-0230

Gilissen, M. G. R., Knippels, M. C. P. J., Verhoeff, R. P., & van Joolingen, W. R. (2020). Teachers and educators perspectives on systems thinking and its implementation in Dutch biology education. Journal of Biological Education, 54(5), 485-496. https://doi.org/10.1080/00219266.2019.1609564

Goransson, A., Orraryd, D., Fiedler, D., & Tibell, L. A. E. (2020). Conceptual characterization of threshold concepts in student explanations of evolution by natural selection and effects of item context. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.19-03-0056

Hubbard, K. E., Brown, R., Deans, S., Garcia, M. P., Pruna, M. G., & Mason, M. J. (2017). Undergraduate students as co-producers in the creation of first-year practical class resources. Higher Education Pedagogies, 2(1), 58-78. https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2017.1338529

Jones, H., & Hammond, L. (2022). Threshold concepts in medical education: A scoping review. Medical Education, 56(10), 983-993. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.14864

Kalinowski, S. T., Leonard, M. J., & Taper, M. L. (2016). Development and validation of the conceptual assessment of natural selection (CANS). CBE-Life Sciences Education, 15(4). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.15-06-0134

Kallia, M., & Sentance, S. (2021). Threshold concepts, conceptions and skills: Teachers experiences with students engagement in functions. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 37(2), 411-428. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12498

Kennie-Kaulbach, N., & Janke, K. K. (2025). Threshold concepts as a framework for understanding the internal work of learners professional identity formation. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 89(3), 101369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpe.2025.101369

Khodor, J., Halme, D. G., & Walker, G. C. (2004). A hierarchical biology concept framework: A tool for course design. Cell Biology Education, 3(2), 111-121. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.03-10-0014

Kinchin, I. M. (2022). Exploring dynamic processes within the ecological university: A focus on the adaptive cycle. Oxford Review of Education, 48(5), 675-692. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2021.2007866

Land, R., Rattray, J., & Vivian, P. (2014). Learning in the liminal space: A semiotic approach to threshold concepts. Higher Education, 67(2), 199-217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-013-9705-x

Liljedahl, M., Palmgren, P. J., & McGrath, C. (2022). Threshold concepts in health professions education research: A scoping review. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 27(5), 1457-1475. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-022-10127-5

Loring, P. A. (2020). Threshold concepts and sustainability: Features of a contested paradigm. FACETS, 5(1), 182-199. https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2019-0037

Meyer, J. H. F., & Land, R. (2005). Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge (2): Epistemological considerations and a conceptual framework for teaching and learning. Higher Education, 49(3), 373-388. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-004-6779-5

Momsen, J., Speth, E. B., Wyse, S., & Long, T. (2022). Using systems and systems thinking to unify biology education. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 21(2). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.21-05-0118

Morgan, C. J., Bowmar, A., McNaughton, S., Flood, B., & OBrien, D. (2019a). Transformative learning opportunities for students and educators during interprofessional healthcare practice experiences in higher education: Viewed through the lens of threshold concepts theory. Focus on Health Professional Education: A Multi-Professional Journal, 20(2). https://doi.org/10.11157/fohpe.v20i2.301

Munn, Z., Peters, M. D. J., Stern, C., Tufanaru, C., McArthur, A., & Aromataris, E. (2018). Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x

Olaniyi, N. E. E. (2020). Threshold concepts: Designing a format for the flipped classroom as an active learning technique for crossing the threshold. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-020-0122-3

Palmberg, I., Hofman-Bergholm, M., Jeronen, E., & Yli-Panula, E. (2017). Systems thinking for understanding sustainability? Nordic student teachers views on the relationship between species identification, biodiversity and sustainable development. Education Sciences, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci7030072

Pinilla, J. S., & Rubilar, C. M. (2024). Threshold concepts in the teaching of natural sciences: A systematic review. Journal of Technology and Science Education, 14(4), 947-964. https://doi.org/10.3926/jotse.2385

Polley, S., McLeod, B., Rankin, J., Munge, B., Bovino, P., & Picknoll, D. (2025). Assessing outdoor and environmental education threshold concepts in Australian universities. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 28(2), 245-267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-024-00168-2

Roessger, K. M. (2010). Threshold concepts and transformational learning Rotterdam. Journal of Transformative Education, 8(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/1541344611428505

Scheja, M., & Pettersson, K. (2010). Transformation and contextualisation: Conceptualising students conceptual understandings of threshold concepts in calculus. Higher Education, 59(2), 221-241. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-009-9244-7

Smart, K. M. (2023). Pain science and practice as a threshold concept within undergraduate and pre-registration physiotherapy education: A jewel of the curriculum? BMC Medical Education, 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04733-z

Stopford, R. (2020). Threshold concepts and certainty: A critical analysis of troublesomeness. Higher Education, 82(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00628-w

Talanquer, V. (2015). Threshold concepts in chemistry: The critical role of implicit schemas. Journal of Chemical Education, 92(1), 3-9. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed500679k

Tibell, L. A. E., & Harms, U. (2017). Biological principles and threshold concepts for understanding natural selection. Science & Education, 26(7), 953-973. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-017-9935-x

Townsend, L., Brunetti, K., & Hofer, A. (2011). Threshold concepts and information literacy. Portal: Libraries and the Academy, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2011.0030

Villafane, S. M., Minderhout, V., Heyen, B. J., Lewis, J. E., Manley, A., Murray, T. A., Tienson-Tseng, H., & Loertscher, J. (2021). Design and implementation of a tool to assess students understanding of metabolic pathways dynamics and regulation. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 20(3). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.20-04-0078

Walck-Shannon, E., Batzli, J., Pultorak, J., & Boehmer, H. (2019). Biological variation as a threshold concept: Can we measure threshold crossing? CBE-Life Sciences Education, 18(3). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.18-12-0241

Wernecke, U., Schutte, K., Schwanewedel, J., & Harms, U. (2018). Enhancing conceptual knowledge of energy in biology with incorrect representations. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.17-07-0133

White, S. (2023). Generating threshold concepts for impactful learning development: Exploring a new perspective on our work. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 29. https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi29.1101

Wilcox, S., & Leger, A. B. (2013). Crossing thresholds: Identifying conceptual transitions in postsecondary teaching. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2013.2.7

Wismath, S. L., Orr, D., & MacKay, B. R. (2015). Threshold concepts in the development of problem-solving skills. Teaching & Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.2979/teachlearninqu.3.1.63

Zuckerman, A. L., & Lo, S. M. (2022). Examining the variations in undergraduate students conceptions of successful researchers: A phenomenographic study. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 21(3). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.21-10-0295