Design-Based Research (DBR)

1. Design-Based Research(DBR)

2. Different Definitions • “DBR is not as much an approach as it is a series of approaches, with the intent of producing new theories, artifacts, and practices that account for and potentially impact learning & teaching in naturalistic settings.” (Barab & Squire, 2004) • “A systematic but flexible methodology aimed to improve educational practices through iterative analysis, design, development, & implementation, based on collaboration among researchers & practitioners in real-world settings, & leading to contextually-sensitive design principles & theories.” (Wang & Hannafin, 2005)

3. “Design experiments were developed as a way to carry out formative research to test and refine educational designs based on principles derived from prior research. This approach of progressive refinement in design involves putting a first version of a design into the world to see how it works. Then, the design is constantly revised based on experience, until all the bugs are worked out.” (Collins, 2004) • “DBR is about intervention: when it works, how it works and for who it works.” (Sandoval, 2007). • “Scholars came to engage in design-based research to better understand how to orchestrate innovative learning experiences among children in their everyday educational contexts as well as to simultaneously develop new theoretical insights about the nature of learning.” (Bell, 2004)

4. 5 Main Characteristics of DBR • Pragmatic • It’s goal are solving current real-world problems by designing interventions, extending theories, & refining principles • Grounded • In both theory & real-world context • Interactive, iterative, & flexible • In terms of the research process • Integrative • Researchers need to integrate a variety of research methods & approaches • Contextual • Research results are “connected with both the design process through which results are generated & the setting where the research is conducted.” (Wang & Hannafin, 2005)

5. Critical Characteristics • Addresses complex problems in real contexts in collaboration with practitioners • Integrates known and hypothetical design-principles with technological affordances to render plausible solutions to these complex problems • Conducts rigorous and reflective inquiry to test and refine innovative learning environments as well as to define new design-principles (Reeves, 2000, Brown 1992, & Collins, 1992)

6. Cobb’s 4-Step Sequence • “The conventional role of design in educational research has been as a strategy for testing theories.” (Edelson, 2004) • This theory testing involves 4-steps: (according to Cobb’s) • The development of a theory • The derivation (root/source/origin)of principles for design from the theory • The translation (change/transformation) of the principles into concrete design • The assessment of the designs to test whether they work as anticipated or not

7. 7 Major Differences Between DBR & Traditional Psychological Methods • DBR: • Focuses on understanding the “messiness”of real-world settings • Involves flexible design revision • Involves multiple dependent variables • Involves capturing social interaction • Participants are treated as co-participants (not “subjects”) • Context is a core part of the story (not an extraneous variable) • May focus on developing a theory/profile that characterizes the design in practice

8. DBR VS. Traditional Empirical Research

9. Differences Between DBR & Simple Design • DBR: • Is research driven--informed by prior research & guided by research goals • Uses system documentation--design process must be thoroughly & systematically documented • Involves formative evaluation--can identify inadequacies in the problem analysis, solution, & design procedure that can’t be exposed through the analytical processes alone • Involves generalization—a design researcher expands his/her focus beyond the current design context to look for generalizations to other contexts (Edelson, 2002)

10. Possible Challenges of DBR • According to Sandoval, 2007: • Complexity: Too much data • Validity: Same as most qualitative research • Generalization: Even to make general theoretical claims one need lots of design experiments • Replicability: In general, it is not. (But features may be) • Trajectory: Difficulty organizing the whole process in a systematic way, mapping conjectures to design changes, etc. (EduTech Wiki, 2009)

11. “Education needs to produce “expert learners” (Brown, Ellery, & Campione, 1998), who love learning and who know how to find out things for themselves. Educators need to create environments where students are not afraid to put forth new ideas, share what they learn, and produce products they can show to the world.” (Collins, Joseph, & Bielaczyc, 2004)

12. References • Barab, S. & Squire, K. (2004) Design-Based Research: Putting a Stake in the Ground.TheJournal of the Learning Sciences, 13(1), 1-14. Retrieved March 4, 2009. • Bell, P. (2004). On the theoretical breadth of design-based research in education. Educational Psychologist, 39(4), 243-253. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from EBSCOhost database. • Brown, A. L. (1992). Design Experiments: Theoretical and Methodological Challenges in Creating Complex Interventions in Classroom Settings. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 2(2), 141-178. • Collins, A., Joseph, D., & Bielaczyc, K. (2004). Design Research: Theoretical and Methodological Issues, The Journal Of The Learning Sciences, 13(1), 15-42. • Design Based Research (2009). Retrieved March 23, 2009, from EduTech Wiki Web Site: http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Design-based_research.

13. Design-Based Research Collective. (2003). Design-Based Research: An Emerging Paradigm for Educational Inquiry. Educational Researcher, 32(1), 5-8. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from http://www.jstor.org/stable /3699927. • Edelson, D. C. (2002). Design Research: What We Learn When We Engage in Design. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 11(1), 105-121. • Peer Group. (2006). A PEER Tutorial for Design-Based Research. Retrieved March 6, 2009, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/dbr/explain01.htm. • Sandoval, W. A. & Bell, P. (2004). Design-Based Research Methods for Studying Learning in Context: Introduction. Educational Psychologist, 39(4), 199-201. Retrieved March 4, 2009. • Wang, F. & Hannafin, M. J. (2005). Design-Based Research and Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments. Educational Technology, Research and Development, 53(4), 5-23. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from ProQuestdatabase.