Understand Designed Based Research

DESIGN-BASED RESEARCHResearch Unit at University of Trento, PRIN 09

Nan Yang [email protected]

Doctoral School of Psychological Sciences and Education University of Trento

mailto:[email protected]

Research Unit at University of Trento, PRIN 09, Nan Yang10/23/13

OutlineWhat is design-based research (DBR)?

When do we use DBR

How do we use DBR?

Why do we use DBR

Discussion

DBR in PRIN 09

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What is DBRDefinition

DBR is also known as “design experiments” (Brown, 1992), “design research”(Cobb, 2001), “development research”(van den Akker, 1999). It is research on how theory and innovative learning environments converge to support human learning and performance.

Elements (Edelson, 2002) Research driven: yield useful results; informed by prior research and guided by research goals

Systematic documentation: to support retrospective analysis

Formative evaluation: integrated process of design, evaluation and revision

Generalization: Expend focus from current design context to others

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What is DBR (cont.)Crosscutting Features (Cobb, etc, 2003)

The purpose is to develop a class of theories about both the process of learning and the means that are designed to support that learning

Highly interventionist nature of the methodology: to investigate the possibilities for educational improvement by bring about new forms of learning in order to study them

Two faces: prospective and reflective. On the prospective side, foster the emergence of other potential pathways for learning and development; on the reflective side, DBR is conjecture-driven tests

Iterative design: the result is an iterative design process featuring cycles of invention and revision

Pragmatic roots: “the theory must do real work”

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When do we use DBR

The need to address theoretical questions about the nature of learning in context

The need for approaches to the study of learning phenomena in the real world rather than the laboratory

The need to go beyond narrows measures of learning

The need to derive research findings from formative evaluation (Collins, etc, 2004)

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How do we use DBRSettings for conducting DBR (Cobb, etc, 2003)

One on one(teacher-experimenter and student): conducts a series of teaching session with a small number of students

classroom: collaborate with a teacher to assume responsibility for instruction

preservice teacher development: help organize and study the education of prospective teachers

In-service teacher development: collaborate with teachers to support the development of a professional community

school and school district reconstructing: collaborate with teachers, school administrators, and other stakeholders to support organizational change (PRIN 09’s position).

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How do we use DBR(cont.)

Multiple ways of analysis (Collins, etc, 2004) Cognitive level: researchers ask learners to expose their thinking

Interpersonal level: researchers use ethnographic techniques to observe the interactions between students and teacher or among students

Group or class level: address issue of participant structure, group identity and authority relationship

Resource level: if resources are easy to understand and use, the access, how they are integrated into the activities

Institutional or school level: communications with outside parties and support from the entire institution

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How do we use DBR(cont.)Preparing for DBR (e.g. classroom design experiment)

Clarify the theoretical intent of the experiment

Specify the significant disciplinary ideas and forms of reasoning that constitute the prospective goals or endpoints for student learning

Specify the assumptions about the intellectual and social starting points for the envisioned forms of learning

formulate a design that embodies testable conjectures about both significant shifts in student reasoning and the specific means of supporting those shifts

Generate multiple forms of data to adequately document the learning ecology (Cobb, etc, 2003)

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How do we use DBR(cont.)Conducting a DBR

A clear view of the anticipated learning pathways and the potential means of support must be maintained

The extended nature of most DBR calls for the cultivation of ongoing relationships with practitioners

To develop a deep understanding of the ecology of learning

Regular debriefing sessions are the forum in which past events are interpreted and prospective events are planned for

Conduct retrospective analysis is a way to be explicit about the criteria and types of evidence used when making particular types of inferences, so that other researchers can understand, monitor, and critique the analysis (Cobb, etc, 2003)

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Why do we use DBR (Cobb, etc, 2003)

It provides a productive perspective for theory development The practical demands of design require that a theory be fully specified

The process of design reveals inconsistencies more effectively than analytical processes

The goal-directed nature of design provides a natural focus for theory development

The usefulness of its results If the ultimate goal of educational research is the improvement of the education system, then results that speak directly to the design of activities, materials and systems will be the most useful results.

It directly involves researchers in the improvement of education Researchers has freedom to explore innovative design and create true innovation

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DiscussionCompare DBR with empirical research (Edelson, 2002)

the objective: DBR is to generate new theories; empirical research is theory-testing tradition

their source of strength: explanatory power and their grounding in specific experiences (DBR); statistical sampling (empirical research)

My viewpoint on DBR: case study+action research+formative evaluation

DBR offers opportunities to learn unique lessons (case study)

DBR yields practical lessons that can directly applied (action research)

DBR facilitates direct improvement of education (formative evaluation)

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DBR in PRIN 09

PRIN 09 is a national research on innovative evaluation in the educational setting

Research Unit at University of Trento is focus on the evaluation on the eLearning quality in the higher education

Why we don’t build a new evaluation process instead of redesigning the eLearning course for innovative evaluation? Firstly, the objective of innovative evaluation is to have strong impact on educational practice while course redesign have a direct impact on the practice. Secondly, DBR we adopt in our research is also a formative evaluation.

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Important References

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.

Cobb, P., Confrey, J., Lehrer, R., & Schauble, L. (2003). Design experiments in educational research. Educational researcher, 32(1), 9-13.

Collins, A., Joseph, D., & Bielaczyc, K. (2004). Design research: Theoretical and methodological issues. The Journal of the learning sciences, 13(1), 15-42.

Cobb, P. (2001). Supporting the improvement of learning and teaching in social and institutional context. In Cognition and instruction: Twenty-five years of progress (pp. 455-478). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Edelson, D. C. (2002). "Design research: What we learn when we engage in design." The Journal of the Learning Sciences 11(1): 105-121.

Van den Akker, J. (1999). Principles and methods of development research.Design methodology and developmental research in education and training, 1-14.

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Thank you

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