1. An example of how I used
Design-based Research to
conceptualise an academic
article
by
G Lautenbach

3. Design-based Research
• Involves conceptualising research to
coincide with development of practice. The
central notion is design. In Education it is
pedagogic design.
• “Design research is an approach to
developing and STUDYING theory-driven
pedagogical interventions in situ” (Barab &
Squire, 2004).

4. Design-based research as research
methodology
• Anne Brown & Allan Collins - a new approach to
educational research that aims to combine the
rigour of experimental research with the
messiness of classroom settings to provide
solutions to real educational challenges
• involves the grounding of proposed solutions
to educational problems in existing theory.
• “Cross-fertilisation” of classroom-based research
and controlled laboratory research as design
experimentation (Brown, 1992)

5. Commonly used terms for the
general approach
• Design experiments (Brown, 1992; Collins, 1992;
Reeves, 2000)
• Development research (Van den Akker, cited in
Reeves, 2000)
• Design-based research (Design-Based
Research Collective, 2003)
• Design research (O’Donnell, 2004)

6. Defining characteristics of design-
based research
• It is iterative in that research takes place through
repeated cycles of design, implementation, analysis and
revision.
• It is process-focused in that it seeks to understand both
the learning process and the impact of designed
interventions on that learning.
• It is interventionist in that it involves designed learning
environments that are systematically investigated to test
the expected relationship between aspects of the design
on learning with the intent to advance educational theory
and practice.

7. Defining characteristics of design-
based research (Continued)
• It is collaborative in that knowledge about teaching and
learning are constructed through researcher-practitioner
partnerships.
• It is utility oriented in that it aims to produce usable
knowledge for educational innovation by explaining how
designs function in authentic settings.
• It is theory-driven in that theoretical assumptions, which
guide the design of interventions, are tested with the
intention of advancing educational theory through the
cyclic design-implementation-analysis-redesign of
learning and teaching activities and artefacts.

8. 3 broad goals
• Design experiments address complex
problems in real contexts in collaboration with
practitioners
• Known and hypothetical design principles are
integrated with technology to provide plausible
solutions to practical problems
• Rigorous and reflective inquiry is conducted to
evaluate and refine the design of innovative
learning environments and contribute to a
body of design theory

9. Relevance?
• Design-based researchers are committed to the idea that
learning and teaching are the result of complex social
interactions shaped by the interplay of various
contextual variables.
• Design-based researchers use multiple forms of data,
such as artefacts and records of conversations, to
construct knowledge about phenomena under study.
• DBR is not only used to find out what happens, but to
gain an understanding of how and why things happen
as they do.

10. A challenge?
• It typically takes years to generate useful results.
Reeves (2000,) suggests five years or more.
• However, the approach of “progressive
refinement” requires design researchers to put
“a first version of a design into the world to see
how it works” in order to revise the design “until
all the bugs are worked out” (Collins et al, 2004)

11. Design logic for DBR: Action features of each phase
• Jan Herrington, EDMEDIA 2010

12. Design logic of DBR
Design Based Research
Analysis of Practical
Problems
Phase 1
• Consult with those experiencing the problem
• Explore
• Speak to people
• Read about the problem

13. Design logic of DBR
Design Based Research
Back to literature &
theory. Look for draft
design principles.
Develop solutions
within theoretical
framework
Phase 2
• Back to literature & theory
• Compile draft design principles
– Provide…
– Support…
– Promote…
– Engage…
– Negotiate… etc.

14. Design logic of DBR
Design Based Research
Test solution in
iterative cycles.
Try, change, try
again
Phase 3
• Test solution in iterative cycles
– Try solution
– Change it
– Try again

15. Design logic of DBR
Design Based Research
Reflection to
produce design
principles. Reflect,
create principles,
publish
Phase 4
• Reflection to produce design principles
• Reflection to enhance solution implementation
– Reflect on findings
– Create design principles
– publish

16. Example (Lautenbach, 2010)
Reconceptualising a module on teaching & learning with learning
technologies
• Step 1: Analysis of Practical Problem /
Consult, Explore, Read
• Many think:
– Learning technologies can change pedagogical
practices
– Computers can teach in the absence of humans
• Technology should rather support complex
human, social and cultural interactions
(Amiel & Reeves, 2008)

17. Emphasis of example
• Reconceptualising learning activities in an
undergraduate module
• Introducing theoretical frameworks that
underpin teaching & learning with
technology
• Grounding the learning activities in theory
• Incorporating research into practice -
deriving design principles from students
themselves

18. Reconceptualised Module: My Aim?
Authentic, collaborative activities (using
learning technologies) as a purposeful teaching
strategy rather than a once off classroom
technique.
Vygotskian actor-object-tool triad as a
precursor to CHAT
Focus - not on the technology but rather on
the learning where the technology
functions as the mediating tool.

19. Vygotsky’s Mediational Triangle
Tool / Mediating The first
artifact
theoretical
construct useful
to this study is
the concept of
tool mediation.
Subject/Actor Activity Object
Outcome
Activity – Using ICTs in authentic tasks
Object – Engaging with authentic tasks
Outcome –ICTs adding value to teaching & learning

20. The second theoretical construct useful to
this study is the concept of authentic
learning as the object of the activity.

21. Authentic activities (Herrington,
Reeves & Oliver, 2002)
• Have real-world relevance
• Are ill defined / open to multiple interpretations
• Are complex
• Provide opportunities to include different
perspectives
• Provide collaborative opportunities
• Integrated across different subject areas
• Include integrated assessment
• Yield possible products
• Allow competing answers or solutions

22. Design logic of DBR
Design-based Research
Back to literature &
Analysis of theory. Look for draft Reflection to
Practical design principles. Test solution in produce design
Problem / Develop solutions iterative cycles. principles. Reflect,
Consult, Explore, within theoretical Try, change, try create principles,
Read framework again publish
Refinement of Problems, Solutions, and Methods
Design Logic
(adapted from Reeves, 2000)

23. Example - Data collection?
Qualitative analysis of student reflections
Reflective reports submitted as part of the
final examination portfolio
Analysed for content using simple in vivo
coding techniques & explanations

24. How did I get to the design
principles?
• Direct quotes from reflections
• Clustered into themes
• Themes changed into design principles by
using verbs…
3 examples follow…

25. 1 Provide activities that model
real life
We could learn by example and model our
teaching on good practice
We used different technologies that are
applicable in everyday life
We gained other real world skills beyond
subject content
It does not end in the classroom; it ends
in the world out there

26. 2 Keep activities relevant (and
fun)
Tasks were creative and made learning fun
It is better to use different and unique
ways to maintain interest
It made the tasks lighter and made learning
easier and fun
Learning was intriguing and fulfilling
Technology allows for deeper learning and
makes it more fun

27. 3 Contextualise learning activities
We learned about innovative ways to
implement ICTs in the South African context
We used the technology to explore and
construct concepts and relationships in
context
This module made me think about how to
overcome barriers in the classroom
It encouraged me to think critically about
teaching in the classroom

28. Example 2: 13 Design Principles
(derived from students)
1. Keep activities relevant
2. See authentic learning as the object of the activity
3. Provide activities that model real life
4. Create opportunities for learning
5. Keep activities relevant (and fun)
6. Contextualise learning activities
7. Accommodate learner needs
8. Engage students in a variety of tasks
9. Promote the tool as mediator
10. Develop a structure to underpin the activities
11. Establish a schedule to actively engage students
12. Expect more from students
13. Encourage collaboration / participation

29. But how does this differ from
Action Research?

30. Simple comparison with
Action Research
• Purpose of AR: • Purpose of DBR:
– To provide a solution – To provide solutions to
to an educator’s real educational
problem in their own challenges
school or organisation
– To improve practice – To refine the design
or understand issues of innovative learning
interventions and
contribute to a body of
design theory

31. In conclusion…

32. Possibilities in your field?