Interdisciplinarity and epistemic reflexivity. A methodological approach to the study of later-life transitions

Research on later-life transitions spans multiple disciplines, yet perspectives often remain fragmented. This paper demonstrates how interdisciplinarity, guided by epistemic reflexivity, can produce a more integrated understanding of later-life transitions. Drawing on a meta-narrative review, four research traditions–education, sociology, gerontology, and management–are examined to reconstruct discipline-specific storylines and generate a cross-disciplinary synthesis. The process unfolds through iterative reflection on assumptions, concepts, and methods, highlighting how disciplinary positions shape knowledge. Six cross-disciplinary narratives emerge: vulnerability and loss, learning and growth, relational embeddedness, unequal trajectories, enacted practices, and systemic dynamics. Together, they portray later-life transitions as complex, relational, and systemic processes spanning micro, meso, and macro levels. Methodologically, the study illustrates how combining meta-narrative review with epistemic reflexivity enables the construction of integrated interdisciplinary knowledge. Conceptually, it reframes later-life transitions as multilevel, dynamic phenomena. More broadly, the study positions research on later-life transitions as a productive arena for developing interdisciplinary approaches in educational gerontology.