When coming to terms with a threshold concept an individual is likely to enter a liminal state from which they might withdraw (so their understanding will not change) or with which they might engage (and so begin to change their understanding). An understanding of and willingness to engage with liminal states is therefore important when dealing with boundary objects and threshold concepts.

A liminal state is "an intermediary state in our understanding of a concept." Meyer and Land (2006) suggest that during the process of understanding a threshold concept an individual needs to move temporarily into a liminal state. It is an unstable state where the learner may jump back and forth between their old and new understanding but once this state is entered the learner is progressing in their understanding. They give the example of being an adolescent who is not yet an adult but neither fully a child. Cousin (2006) suggests that entering a liminal state involves the shifting of an individual's identity which can feel troublesome and unsafe.

Savin-Baden (2016) describes being in a liminal state as being when a misconception becomes apparent and that it produces a feeling of puzzlement or feeling stuck. Someone in a liminal state might understand the need to move away from this 'stuck' space but does not know how to and this might lead to an oscillation between the old and new ways of understanding. Cousin (2006) states that the transformation might be sudden or take a long period of time.

Stages in threshold concepts

Pearce et al. (2022) suggests that there are 5 stages in acquiring a new threshold concept. During stage 1 the individual is content with their original mental model. At stage 2 and insight trigger is experienced usually causing cognitive dissonance. During stage 3 the individual moves into a liminal state where new information is processed. At stage 4 a formulation of the insight is created allowing movement into stage 5 where the individual adapts the new mental model.

An understanding of threshold concepts and liminal states helps people come to grips with new and potentially alien concepts including boundary objects; grasping them causes cognitive disruption; they may expose the individual to troublesome knowledge; and may help create new insights. For these reasons recognising liminal states would be useful for individuals when dealing with boundary objects and alien knowledge.

Practice

If you can identify a liminal state then the next time you experience one you should be able to get past this state better.

• Can you identify any situations in the past where you have experienced a liminal state?

• How did they feel?

• How did you overcome them?