Cycle Of Design-based Research Research Articles

Fathom: a technology-enhanced learning environment for teaching-learning of expand-reduce skills in software design

Software design problems are often characterized as ill-structured because the requirements are not clearly defined. These problems offer various solution paths and the criteria used to select the solution may not be known initially. The expertise and experience of designers play a crucial role in determining the quality of software design. Less experienced designers often tend to prematurely narrow down their options to a single solution without fully exploring the problem-solution space. This tendency has a negative impact on the overall quality of software design. Studies have shown that systematically expanding the problem space before reducing to problem formulation and exploring the solution space before reducing it to a single solution (expand-reduce skills) improves the quality of the design. We have designed and developed a technology-enhanced learning environment (TELE) named Fathom for scaffolding expand-reduce (ER) skills in software design problems in a data structures course. In this paper, we present three cycles of design, development, and evaluation of Fathom based on the design-based research (DBR) approach. In the first DBR cycle, we identified and evaluated Fathom’s pedagogical features in learning ER skills. In the second cycle of DBR, the aim was to improve the design of Fathom for the learning and transfer of ER skills. Fathom was revised in the third cycle of the DBR to scaffold metacognitive skills. The main contribution of this research is pedagogical design for facilitating the learning of expand-reduce skills in solving software design problems.

Shifting roles and slow research: children’s roles in participatory co-design of critical machine learning activities and technologies

ABSTRACT Including children’s voices in the design of learning activities and technologies has increasingly become a subject of conversation among researchers and learning designers. Research suggests children have lived experiences that position them as useful contributors in co-designing curricula activities or technologies they will use. However, one significant challenge in participatory co-design is engaging children in the co-design of curricula when they have not yet learned the disciplinary content within the curricula. We present our two-year participatory design-based research study in which we co-designed a Critical Machine Learning educational programme with different groups of children at two after-school centres over two consecutive years. In this paper, we characterize the roles children embodied in two cycles of participatory co-design and how the program's activities impacted these roles. Findings in this study suggest that in two participatory design-based research cycles, children embodied different roles of tester, informant, or designer of both AI learning activities and AI technologies. Based on this design-based research study, we propose that a ‘slow research’ approach that emphasises trust-building and a deep understanding of children's perspectives can be instrumental in achieving meaningful co-design outcomes.

Project digiSTAR – digital augmented Science Teaching and Research

This paper introduces the digiSTAR project, whose primary focus is on bridging the digital gap in undergraduate studies, which arises between the now digitalized schools and the technology-driven master’s programs at universities when undergraduate courses are taught in a more traditional and less digitalized way, by providing teaching-learning modules and digital resources. The second goal is to provide pre-service science teachers with authentic learning opportunities for designing and testing lessons and (peer) feedback on their own developments, in accordance with the DiKoLAN framework, which characterizes digital competencies for teaching in science education. Initial results of the first design-based research cycle, based on a survey of first-year chemistry students, showed that chemistry students have difficulty understanding the physical fundamentals of quantum chemistry needed to understand topics such as molecular orbital theory. These challenges can potentially be eased through the implementation of innovative digital modules, which have been and will be created by teacher students enrolled in the Master of Education program. The project digiSTAR aims to establish a collection of digital modules designed for first-year science courses, with the long-term vision of extending this endeavour to encompassing a broader range of academic disciplines to address and reduce the digital gap.

Systems thinking approach to understand Indonesia's ocean acidification

Establishing a proper connection between content and context is essential to infusing Systems Thinking (ST) into sustainable chemistry learning. Several efforts have been made to realize ST in chemistry in the context of coping with climate change through chemistry education. One potential model is connecting the interpretation of chemical reactions at the molecular level to local phenomena such as Indonesia's ocean acidification (IOA). As citizens of an archipelagic country, Indonesian students should understand the fundamental nature of particles that cause ocean acidification. In this work, we offer the perspective on scaffolding the ST competencies using the iterative cycle of Design-Based Research, particularly in the preparation and design stages. The developed ST sequences appear from identifying system components via history; relationship between component and natural world; identifying dynamic interaction and cyclic behavior; application and ownership in sustainability action. All stages above focused on carbonate and hydrogen carbonate ions as central particles in the ocean acidification context. To sum up, the current Indonesian curriculum need to apply the ST approach to equip students as climate-literate citizens of science with adequate knowledge and skills.

Professional learning tasks and mathematical knowledge involving the algebraic structure of Groups: an experience in the degree in Mathematics teaching

Considering the teacher education of prospective teachers, the objective of this article is to understand how professional learning tasks are carried out in classes of a course of Algebra in the teacher education. Using Design-Based Research cycles, documents and video recordings were collected throughout the course of the classes. Data were analyzed in order to interpret how future teachers mobilize School-Related Content Knowledge and how teacher educators generate professional learning opportunities for them. The results indicate the possibility of approaching academic mathematics in specific-content disciplines of the teacher education, focusing on teacher training and the changes that future teachers’ knowledge may undergo during training. It is concluded that the use of resources that explore connections between academic and school mathematics, as was the case with formative tasks, seems to be a way to promote mathematical and didactic discussions in the teaching degree.

The Chemistry Triangle-Based Multimedia to Build A Good Impression: A Design-Based Research

<p>Science teachers need to pay attention when introducing chemistry to junior high school students hence they don't have low perceptions of chemistry. Multimedia which based on the chemistry triangle can be a solution in helping teachers explains the relationships among macroscopic, sub-microscopic, and symbolic level of chemistry so students can understand the scientific contents better and have a good perceptions. This research aimed to develop a chemistry triangle-based multimedia to build a good impression on junior high school students about chemistry. The design of chemistry triangle-based multimedia was developed through a design-based research (DBR). The participants in the research were three schools of seventh-grade students in Pekalongan Regency, Indonesia. The data were collected through interviews, observations, questionnaires, and tests. The results of this research were in the form of the complete cycles of DBR carried out to produce a chemistry triangle-based multimedia that meets the criteria in helping teachers introduce chemistry in a way that is more easily accepted by students and gives a positive impression about chemistry. This article describes the four phases of the DBR process in the development of chemistry triangle-based multimedia.</p><p> </p>

Evaluating Technology-Enhanced, STEAM-Based Remote Teaching With Parental Support in Luxembourgish Early Childhood Education

During COVID-19 confinement, we observed numerous challenges in using educational technology in early childhood Science–Technology–Engineering–Arts–Mathematics (STEAM) education in Luxembourg. Thus, we designed a conceptual framework on parent-assisted remote teaching with active uses of educational technology supported by cycles of design-based research. After a previous study utilizing computer-aided design (CAD) software and three-dimensional (3D) printing in primary education, we used our initial findings to work with 12 early childhood students (ages 4–6), together with their teachers and parents in the second remote teaching period in Luxembourg. We created a STEAM modeling task with CAD software on robots and collected data through chat responses, messageboards, and online communication channels during a 3-week period. Here, we observed new roles in the parent–child relationship while learning STEAM in remote teaching with technology, and new opportunities in using educational technology overall in early childhood education. In this article, we have described findings that are likely to influence students’ learning and parent-assisted teaching, in particular parents and students’ perceptions and motivations, together with the way in which parents provide technical knowledge and support in remote early childhood STEAM education.

Exploring Design Principles in Computational Thinking Instruction for Multilingual Learners

Background: Multilingual learners have been overlooked and understudied in computer science education research. As the CS for All movement grows, it is essential to design integrated, justice-oriented curricula that help young multilingual learners begin to develop computational thinking skills and discourses. Purpose: We present a conceptual framework and accompanying design principles for justice-centered computational thinking activities that are language-rich, with the aim of supporting learners’ agency and building their capacity over time to use computing for good in their communities. Setting: Our work takes place in a research–practice partnership centered in an elementary school in California with a significant multilingual Latinx population. Research Design: We have engaged in two cycles of design-based research with preservice and in-service teachers at an elementary school. Through analysis of one case study during the second and most recent cycle, we examined the potential of teachers using our design principles for supporting multilingual learners’ language development through engagement in computational thinking. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that multilingual learners will engage in productive discourse when computational thinking lessons are designed to (1) be meaningfully contextualized, (2) position students as agentic learners, and (3) promote coherence over time. However, more research is needed to understand how teachers use these principles over time, and what additional supports are needed to ensure coordination between stakeholders to develop and effectively implement coherent learning progressions.

Using Design-Based Research to Layer Career-Like Experiences onto Software Development Courses

Using Design-Based Research to Layer Career-Like Experiences onto Software Development Courses

The Use of the Role-playing Technique STARS in Formal Didactic Contexts

Live action role-playing games (larps) are an effective, yet uncommon learning tool in schools. For broader implementation, the design of the game has to serve curricular and pedagogical needs alike. This paper presents core principles of design and implementation of educational live action role-playing games in curricular primary and secondary education. Over the course of 5 years, 16 live action role-playing games with a total of 53 cycles of Design-based Research (DBR) including design, testing, and evaluation were conducted in German schools. This paper synthesizes 17 essential principles from the DBR cycles as best practice in the context of subject-bound curricular focus. The results of our study show that four parameters differ in schools from extracurricular live action role-playing activities: curricular guidelines, compulsory participation, grading practices, and time/space confinements. These four parameters need to be taken into consideration at all times when designing and conducting a live action role-playing game in a school environment. Moreover, design for simplicity and inclusion is paramount for successful implementation within subject-teaching in schools as a rewarding tool to foster content-knowledge and to promote social and personal skills.

Mathematical thinking about systems – students modeling a biometrics identity verification system

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to understand how students’ mathematical thinking is activated and nurtured in solving a modeling problem, where the problem situation involves the design of a system. From a STEM integrated perspective, 9th grade students worked on a modeling task aiming to create an identification system based on hand biometrics. The theoretical framework proposes a conceptualization of the interplay between the mathematical modeling process, from a cognitive perspective, and the engineering design process. Central ideas refer to the cyclical nature of both processes and to the sub-processes involved in them. The empirical data were collected in two design-based research cycles with different 9th grade classes. The data from the groups’ audio and video recording and the students’ productions were analyzed under a directed qualitative content analysis informed by theory. The results showed a global pattern in the students’ thinking in solving a design system problem. The overlapping and interplay between the mathematical modeling and the design process was a prominent characteristic of students’ thinking. The modeling cycle was mirrored by a design cycle, with both running in parallel. System thinking pushed and drove students’ mathematical thinking, from the system requirements to the prototype validation.

DESIGN-BASED RESEARCH TO DEVELOP SFL-INFORMED TBLT INSTRUCTIONS: REFLECTION FROM ESP COURSE

Design-based research (DBR)’s use in education research has been manifold since it provides teacher-researcher collaboration in order to improve theoretical understandings and plan an intervention to a non-optimal learning condition. Plethora of studies utilize the methodology to design and develop macro pedagogic documents, professional development programs, and refine the theoretical understanding in real classroom practices. However, its use for developing a set of instructional designs that promote critical meaning-making and reflection in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses is relatively scarce. The iterative cycle of DBR affords us to co-create the instructional design that utilizes some systemic functional linguistic (SFL) concepts to task-based language teaching (TBLT) in supporting students’ critical meaning-making. Students report they find TBLT suitable for their pace of learning as it organizes the pedagogic tasks in a sequential manner. Even though SFL concepts to approach texts were initially seen challenging, but with explicit instruction and scaffolding, they can carry on with the demands of the tasks. This informs that SFL-informed TBLT can be also adapted to a wider variety of contexts, adapting DBR cycles.

From ambivalent spaces to spaces of reciprocal encountering: developing classroom culture in an intercultural story exchange

ABSTRACT This paper describes the process of developing classroom culture that promotes reciprocal intercultural encountering in the primary school. Storycrafting, an oral storytelling method used for democratic encounters between participants, was used to connect classes in Scotland, Finland and Belgium over three cycles of design-based research. Abductive analysis produced a theoretical framework of seven key dimensions that influence the learning space for reciprocal encounters: power, knowledge, relatedness, purpose, structure, continuity and meaningfulness. These dimensions were used to identify four kinds of learning spaces that occurred during the implementation of the story exchange: the ambivalent space, the space of information, the transitional space and the space of reciprocal encountering. The intervention created a platform for children’s encounters that reinforced mutuality and reciprocal interactions rather than Othering the exchange partners.

How automated feedback from a digital mathematics textbook affects primary students\u2019 conceptual development: two case studies

One of the most prevalent features of digital mathematics textbooks, compared to traditional ones, is the provision of automated feedback on students’ solutions. Since feedback is regarded as an important factor that influences learning, this is often seen as an affordance of digital mathematics textbooks. While there is a large body of mainly quantitative research on the effectiveness of feedback in general, very little is known about how feedback actually affects students’ individual content specific learning processes and conceptual development. A theoretical framework based on Rabardel’s theory of the instrument and Vergnaud’s theory of conceptual fields is developed to study qualitatively how feedback actually functions in the learning process. This framework was applied in a case study of two elementary school students’ learning processes when working on a probability task from a German 3rd grade digital textbook. The analysis allowed detailed reconstruction of how students made sense of the information provided by the feedback and adjusted their behavior accordingly. This in-depth analysis unveiled that feedback does not necessarily foster conceptual development in the desired way, and a correct solution does not always coincide with conceptual understanding. The results point to some obstacles that students face when working individually on tasks from digital mathematics textbooks with automated feedback, and indicate that feedback needs to be developed in design-based research cycles in order to yield the desired effects.

Enhancing the Sense of Community Through Interaction in a Global Online Course

The purpose of this study was to investigate what types of interactions promote students’ sense of community in a global online course. This design-based research study was aimed at finding out practical principles to help students develop a sense of community and have a meaningful learning experience. A total of 82 students participated in the study. Data were collected and analysed using both qualitative and quantitative methods during three design-based research cycles. These analyses produced six qualitatively different categories that were completed with questionnaire data. To meet the goals of the design-based research, this study produced an online higher education course and design principles, as well as deepened our theoretical understanding of the sense of community in online learning.

Use of Personal Learning Environments in English Learning: An Example of Anadolu University Open Education Faculty

İnternet, eğitim alanında giderek önem kazanan eğitim teknolojilerinin önünü açarak, öğrenme sorumluluğunu öğrenciye bırakmıştır. Bu sürecin devamında, Kişisel Öğrenme Ortamları, öğrencilerin çevrimiçi platformlarda kendi öğrenmelerini organize etmelerinde aktif rollerini desteklemek adına önem kazanmıştır. Kişisel Öğrenme Ortamları, öğrenmenin kişisel boyutta yapılandırıldığı, planlandığı, paylaşıldığı ve yaşam boyu arşivlendiği platformlardır. Web 2.0 araçlarıyla oluşturulan bu ortamlar bireyselleştirilmiş izlencelerin tasarımına izin veren ve çevrimiçi katılımlı, bireysel ve grup etkinliklerini teşvik eden yapısıyla Açık ve Uzaktan Öğrenmeyi desteklemektedir. Bu çalışmada, kampüs dışında eğitim gören uzaktan öğrenenlerin yabancı dil olarak İngilizce öğrenmelerine yönelik oluşturdukları Kişisel Öğrenme Ortamları incelenmiştir. Bu bağlamda, bu çalışmanın temel amacı açık ve uzaktan öğrenme çerçevesinde Kişisel Öğrenme Ortamlarının İngilizce öğrenmede nasıl etkili, verimli ve çekici şekilde geliştirilebileceğine yönelik alan uzmanlarının ve uzaktan öğrenenlerin görüşlerini almaktır. Çalışma, tasarım tabanlı araştırmanın geliştirme döngüleri çerçevesinde yapılandırılmıştır. 2016-2017 Güz Döneminde (Mart-Eylül 2017) gerçekleştirilmiş olan araştırmanın katılımcılarını uzaktan öğrenenler ve alan uzmanları oluşturmaktadır. Tasarım tabanlı araştırma sürecinde nitel veriler toplanmış ve analiz edilmiştir. Araştırma sonunda, Kişisel Öğrenme Ortamlarına ilişkin bir tasarım çerçevesi önerisinde bulunulmuştur. Araştırma sorularına bağlı olarak ulaşılan verilere göre, Kişisel Öğrenme Ortamı, açık ve uzaktan öğrenme bağlamında kişisel öğrenme deneyimini destekleyen, tasarlanan ortamın benimsenmesini sağlayan ve İngilizce öğrenmeye yönelik genel beklentiyi karşılayan bir ortamdır. Ancak, öğrenmedeki bireysel farklılıklar nedeniyle her bir Kişisel Öğrenme Ortamı bireysel öğrenme gereksinime yönelik olarak oluşturulduğundan kişiye özgü olarak değerlendirilmelidir.

Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in the educational technology sector to become more research-minded: Introduction to a small collection

The EDUCAtional Technology Exchange programme (EDUCATE) at UCL Institute of Education provides the context for this paper, which describes the programme’s vision, objectives and key activities, and sets the context for the collection of articles that follow. This university-led programme was underpinned by Luckin’s (2016) golden triangle of evidence-informed educational technology (edtech) as it sought to support 252 small and medium-sized enterprises to become more research-informed through a six-month research training and mentoring programme. The evaluation of the programme’s design-based research cycles revealed the importance of the careful choice and evolution of its boundary objects. These boundary objects, namely each enterprise’s ‘logic model’ and research proposal, facilitated meaningful conversations between the programme’s research mentors and the enterprises. These boundary objects involved several iterations, during which the language of the two communities became more aligned, helping to bridge the academic knowledge and practices with those of the enterprises.

Ein holistischer Design-Based Research-Modellentwurf für die Hochschuldidaktik

Der Beitrag beschreibt und begründet ein holistisvches DBR-Modell für die Hochschuldidaktik, das in fünf Schritten entfaltet wird: Ich bestimme in einem ersten Schritt fünf semantische Felder, welche den Bedeutungsumfang eines DBR-Zyklus abstecken. Ich bezeichne diese bewusst nicht als Phasen oder Prozesse, weil es hier primär um die Bedeutungen des Handelns in DBR geht, die das Wesen von DBR als Ganzes prägen. In einem zweiten Schritt definiere ich darauf aufbauend fünf Handlungsfelder, in die sich Aktivitätsschwerpunkte projizieren lassen. Der Begriff des Handlungsfelds soll verdeutlichen, dass es hier um konkrete Aktivitäten geht, die immer nur ein Teil vom Ganzen sein können, weil jedes Handeln eine gewisse Fokussierung der Aufmerksamkeit braucht. Ich schlage in einem dritten Schritt Spielfelder vor: Diese metaphorisch bezeichnete Brücke zwischen dem Handlungsfokus (als Teil) und dem Wesenskern (als Ganzem) von DBR eignet sich dazu, die vor allem Experten sich eröffnenden Handlungsspielräume zu beleuchten. Diese drei Schritte bilden zusammen den Argumentationsgang für die Beschreibung und Begründung des holistischen DBR-Modellentwurfs. In einem vierten Schritt gehe ich auf die Methodenfrage in DBR ein und prüfe, inwiefern das Modell dazu geeignet ist, typische Schwierigkeiten im Umgang mit Methoden in DBR konstruktiv aufzufangen. Die Rolle von Design-Gegenständen in DBR greife ich in einem fünften und letzten Schritt auf und gehe wiederum der Frage nach, welchen Mehrwert das holistische Modell hierfür haben kann. Der Beitrag endet mit einem zusammenfasenden Fazit.

Geneticus Investigatio: a technology-enhanced learning environment for scaffolding complex learning in genetics

Bioscientists such as geneticists and molecular biologists regularly demonstrate the integration of domain concepts and science inquiry practices/skills while explaining a natural phenomenon. The complexity of these concepts and skills becomes manifold at the tertiary undergraduate level and are known to be challenging for learners. They learn these in silos as part of theory classes, practical labs, and tutorial sessions while in an industry, they will be required to integrate and apply in a given authentic context. To support learners in this process, we have designed and developed Geneticus Investigatio (GI), a technology-enhanced learning (TEL) environment for scaffolding complex learning in the context of Mendelian genetics. GI facilitates this complex learning by the integration of domain concepts and science inquiry practices through inquiry-driven reflective learning experiences, which are interspersed with inquiry-based learning steps in an authentic context along with metacognitive reflection. In this paper, we present two cycles of iterative design, development, and evaluation of GI, based on the design-based research (DBR) approach. In the first DBR cycle, we identified the pedagogical design features and learning activities of GI based on an exploratory study with bio-science instructors for facilitating complex learning. We then report a pre-post classroom study (N = 37) in which we investigated the learning and perceptions of usability and usefulness of GI. The results indicate high learning gains after interacting with GI and learner perceptions that activities in GI help learn concepts and inquiry practices along with its integration. It is followed by the identification of interaction and other difficulties by the learner, which were triangulated with different data sources. It provided insights into the pedagogical and design changes required in GI. The revised version of GI was evaluated with a quasi-experimental classroom study (N = 121). The results indicate that the drawbacks of the previous version of GI were addressed. The main contributions of this research are a pedagogical design for facilitating complex learning and its implementation in the form of GI TEL environment.

Using a design-based research approach to develop and study a web-based tool to support collaborative learning

We report on a design-based research study that was conducted over two years. We developed, tested, and implemented Collabucate, a web-based tool for fostering social regulation of learning in collaborative learning. In this paper, we describe two cycles of a design-based research study in which Collabucate was implemented with Doctor of Pharmacy students. Collabucate was created according to Järvelä and colleagues' (2015) design principles for supporting socially shared regulation of learning and our design proposition to provide direct instruction of social regulation strategies. During two implementations, we collected and analyzed log data, student ratings, and focus groups. We improved design elements between the two design-based research cycles. Study results supported Järvelä and colleagues’ (2015) design principles and our design proposition. However, further work is required to improve how design elements are embodied in web-based tools. Based on our experience, we outline achievements, challenges, and future considerations for related tools and research. The study contributes to a growing number of tools created to foster awareness and effective regulation in collaborative learning.