Design-based research: Putting a stake in the ground (original) (raw)

Advances in Design-Based Research in the Learning Sciences

Design-based research is a core methodology of the Learning Sciences. Historically rooted as a movement away from the methods of experimental psychology, it is a means to develop “humble” theory that takes into account numerous contextual effects for understanding how and why a design supported learning. DBR involves iterative refinement of both designs for learning and theory; this process is illustrated with retrospective analysis of six DBR cycles. Calls for educational research to parallel medical research has led learning scientists to strive for more specific standards about what constitutes DBR and what makes it desirable, especially regarding robustness and rigor. A recent trend in DBR involves efforts to extend the reach through scalability. These developments potentially endanger the designerly nature of DBR by orienting focus toward generalizability, meaning researchers must be vigilant in their pursuit of understanding how and why learning occurs in complex contexts

The Affordances of Designing for the Learning Sciences

What expertise might the design practitioner bring to the interdisciplinary field of the learning sciences? Learning scientists are scholars from educational psychology, cognitive science and anthropology (amongst other disciplines) invested in advancing basic research into how we learn and translating that research into the design of learning innovations. Design-based research, a methodological approach adopted by applied learning scientists, was developed to complement the laboratory studies and randomized clinical trials of traditional educational research. Theoretically the applied, iterative characterization of design-based research closely aligns with design thinking, and yet, in practice there are notable distinctions between the research orientation of a design practitioner and a psychologist working with design-based approach. Drawing on optimizing a designers' expertise in solution seeking and synthesis the research proposition specifically examines the value of taking a systematically expansive approach to phase 1 of a longer term study. The paper is grounded by a case study that explores, through a series of scrappy mini-experiments, the potential of learning interventions into implicit theories of intelligence. In conclusion, the paper presents a framework as an orienteering tool for navigating potential of the research landscape that will inform the more convergent phase 2 iteration of a study.

The Affordances of Designing for the Learning Sciences {conference proceedings}

Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference for Design Education Researchers, 2016

What expertise might the design practitioner bring to the interdisciplinary field of the learning sciences? Learning scientists are scholars from educational psychology, cognitive science and anthropology (amongst other disciplines) invested in advancing basic research into how we learn and translating that research into the design of learning innovations. Design-based research, a methodological approach adopted by applied learning scientists, was developed to complement the laboratory studies and randomized clinical trials of traditional educational research. Theoretically, the applied, iterative characterization of design-based research closely aligns with design thinking, and yet, in practice, there are notable distinctions between the research orientation of a design practitioner and a psychologist working with a design-based approach. Drawing on optimizing a designers' expertise in solution-seeking and synthesis the research proposition specifically examines the value of taking a systematically expansive approach to phase 1 of a longer-term study. The paper is grounded by a case study that explores, through a series of scrappy mini-experiments, the potential of learning interventions into implicit theories of intelligence. In conclusion, the paper presents a framework as an orienteering tool for navigating the potential of the research landscape that will inform the more convergent phase 2 iteration of a study.

The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (R. Keith Sawyer, ed., 2005)

Curriculum Inquiry, 2008

The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences offers an authoritative summary of a relatively new field that draws from cognitive science, educational psychology, computer science, anthropology, neuroscience, education, and several other disciplines. The learning sciences broadly address all matters of teaching and learning in formal and informal settings. This volume provides an indispensable history of the trajectory of ideas across several decades, and an excellent reference for current research and future directions. It is an ideal resource for seminar and lecture courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, and is required reading for anyone involved in this area of scholarship. While it is difficult to provide a detailed account of such a comprehensive and eclectic volume, this review provides an overview of the main ideas found within its many chapters. The book is organized into six parts, with chapters written by researchers who are highly respected within their disciplines. The chapters are concise and well written, with ample citations for further reading. The volume begins with an introduction to the learning sciences, written by the editor, R. Keith Sawyer. He describes the field in terms of five core influences: constructivism, cognitive science, educational technology, sociocultural research, and the study of disciplinary knowledge. He also highlights the methodology of design research as one that is well suited for the study of how specific innovations influence learning and instruction. Part One of the volume is titled "Foundations," and includes six chapters that represent the core theoretical perspectives of the learning sciences over the past 2 decades. John Bransford and his colleagues lead off the section by discussing the promise of an interdisciplinary approach, addressing three major dimensions of learning: implicit, informal, and formal

On the Theoretical Breadth of Design-Based Research in Education

Educational Psychologist, 2004

Over the past decade design experimentation has become an increasingly accepted mode of research appropriate for the theoretical and empirical study of learning amidst complex educational interventions as they are enacted in everyday settings. There is still a significant lack of clarity surrounding methodological and epistemological features of this body of work. In fact, there is a broad variety of theory being developed in this mode of research. In contrast to recent efforts to seek a singular definition for design experimentation, I argue that methodological and epistemological issues are significantly more tractable if considered from the perspective of manifold families of theoretically-framed design-based research. After characterizing a range of such families, I suggest that as we deliberate on the nature of design-based research greater attention be given to the pluralistic nature of learning theory, the relationship between theory and method, and working across theoretical and methodological boundaries through the use of mixed methods. Finally, I suggest that design-based research-with its focus on promoting, sustaining, and understanding innovation in the world-should be considered a form of scholarly inquiry that sits alongside the panoply of canonical forms ranging from the experimental, historical, philosophical, sociological, legal, and the interpretive.

Design-based research and the learning designer

Who's learning, 2006

The role of the learning designer has expanded from the commonly known activities of an instructional designer to incorporate a range of new roles, largely prompted by new technologies. In this paper, we articulate an approach that further extends the role of the ...

The Learning Sciences: Where they came from and what it means for instructional designers

Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology, 2011

The goal of this chapter is to describe the Learning Sciences perspective. We address questions about how this perspective emerged, what makes it unique, how it goes beyond previous perspectives on learning, and what research findings and practical tools for the instructional designer result from taking this perspective. To start the chapter, we will take a journey back about 40 years ago.