Design-based Research Framework Research Articles

Implementing an Intervention into a Grade Six Learning Environment: A Design-Based Research Framework

Educators in some Canadian schools are especially challenged in developing innovative pedagogical approaches that can intellectually engage their students in deep learning of core curriculum content, while equipping them with 21st century competencies. In this paper, we discuss some key ideas on how an intervention, the design and building of digital video games, was implemented and explored, to address this challenge, in four grade 6 social studies classes at a Calgary charter school, utilizing a design-based research framework. Findings revealed that: (i) to effectively implement this intervention in the classroom context, teachers needed to shift/modify their design of instructional activities compared to how they would normally design them in their social studies classes to teach the same chosen content; and (ii) the intervention, as implemented, seem to have the potential to be an effective innovative pedagogy for deep learning and one that promotes the intellectual engagement of students and their development and application of 21st century competencies. Some implications of these findings for the implementation of interventions in school, in terms of transforming the classroom environment, assessing the type of theoretical support needed, using design-based research as an effective framework to study how interventions and developing policy for the implementation of interventions are listed for K-12 educators, school jurisdictions and Alberta Education.

Using a design-based research framework to refine a desirable difficulties activity for sterile compounding in a skills-based laboratory course

Background and purposeDesign-based research (DBR) processes aim to connect educational research with instructional techniques by focusing on the development and evaluation of multiple iterations of learning activities for systematic improvement within learning environments. Desirable difficulties (DD) are purposeful challenges introduced to facilitate deeper learning of material. The purpose of this work was to evaluate a second iteration of a sterile compounding DD study in the context of DBR in order to allow for the identification and refinement of the educational methods. Educational activity and settingIn this second iteration, doctor of pharmacy students in their second professional year were exposed to both a mechanical and mathematical difficulty in sterile compounding training. Afterwards, students completed a questionnaire to rate their change in confidence and reflect on the activity. FindingsAn increase in confidence in sterile compounding skills was seen by the majority (97.9%) of students. Students' reflections highlighted gains in strategic knowledge, split between internal and external strategies. SummaryCourse instructors saw value in the refinement of a DD sterile compounding activity and plan to continue incorporating DBR processes in order to allow for the further improvement of this educational method. Faculty at other institutions could apply these processes to further refine a variety of educational activities.

Bridging the gap in mobile interaction design for children with disabilities: Perspectives from a pediatric speech language pathologist

Speech language pathologists (SLPs) work with children with diverse types of disabilities. Their clinical knowledge and experience using mobile technology can inform child–computer researchers novel design techniques to facilitate communication and learning for children with disabilities. This paper presents perspectives from an SLP through an overview of design challenges and opportunities for children with communication impairments across disciplines such as instructional design, game design, and therapy design. By illustrating two clinical decision-making models and implementing a design-based research framework, designers and researchers may benefit from collaborating with SLPs for clinically-informed participatory design practices. Preliminary results from an ongoing case study and future research agenda is also described.

Applying a Design-Based Research Framework in the Production of Web Content to Disseminate the Remote Laboratory Uses and Development

INTRODUCTION. The adoption of teaching methods that highlight student's autonomy is a long term process and requires students to be involved with hands-on activities such as lab classes. Lab activities can vary in methodological approaches from demonstration to the authentic research, and requires the use of equipment, reagents, and time. A lot of low-cost experiments alternatives have been developed as an alternative to the expensive equipment not always available in didactic labs. The availability of low-cost microcontrollers and sensors has made possible not only having students do run experiments but also having them to build equipment to be used in their investigative labs. It is also possible to build equipment to be controlled over the internet and to build low-cost remote labs able to provides a real experience of controlling experiment online. OBJECTIVE. This work aims the production of a series of informative and explanatory videos about the use and development of low-cost equipment for remote operation, and to analyze the impact this strategy in biochemistry education, and knowledge dissemination. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Equipment and experiments already developed and in operation have been the starting point to produce a videos series for YouTube. The whole process is structured as Design-Based Research framework, which involves developing iterations of the material, each one incorporating changes based on the feedback taken about the source material. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. We have produced 12 videos that have been released weekly on our YouTube channel. The topics covered so far are titration, photosynthesis and microscopic diversity. All videos are linked to a survey, which will serve to collect data regarding the utility and quality of the videos, reproducibility of the experiments, and demographic data from the viewers. CONCLUSION. The first two videos released have received positive feedback and a reasonable number of views.

Design-based research principles for successful peer tutoring on social media

ABSTRACTSocial media platforms such as WhatsApp are increasingly used in formal education settings. However, there is little research to guide educators on how to set up effective peer tutoring groups on social media platforms, particularly between tutors and tutees who rarely meet face-to-face. In the context of a WhatsApp mathematics tutoring project, we present evidence-based principles to guide the establishment and operation of peer tutoring groups on a social media platform. The development of the principles followed a design-based research framework, based on theories about peer learning, participation barriers to social media use in a low socio-economic setting, and input from participants, who were high school students and university students in Cape Town, South Africa. The refined principles provide guidance for others in similar settings who aim to use tutoring groups on a social media platform to achieve education goals.

Assessment of problem solving activity on wave physics in secondary school

Italian secondary school students struggle with understanding wave-like phenomena. Many research-based materials are available on the topic, but their applicability is often limited by the constraints of actual school settings. We developed a set of conceptual problems on wave phenomena and tested them in classroom within a design-based research framework. We present the preliminary results of an on-going work that aims at providing teachers with high-quality versatile materials, along with testing our hypotheses on the learning processes.

Demens og Virtual Reality – Et brugercentreret design

Tema. Artiklen sigter mod at skabe en række af designprincipper, der kan anvendes i fremtidig forskning i anvendelsen af VR til borgere med demens. Dette sker på baggrund af en række projekter i Rødovre kommune, som alle har bygget videre på samme VR-koncept til borgere med demens.
 Fokus. Med Design-Based Research som ramme fokuserer artiklen på metoder som brugercentreret design, brugertests og inddragelse af den praksis hvori teknologien skal anvendes. VR-konceptet tager derfor udgangspunkt i både plejepersonalet og borgerne med demens og inddrager dem, for at kunne skabe et praktisk anvendeligt koncept og design.
 Konklusion. På baggrund af den afsluttende afprøvning konkluderer artiklen at have fundet et praktisk anvendeligt interaktionsdesign, som i sig selv åbner op for anvendelse af VR-udstyr i en praksisnær kontekst. Disse består bl.a. af behovet for planlagte arbejdsgange, VR-briller med indbygget lyd og en ekstern skærmenhed til personalet.

Defining and designing impact consciousness in teacher education

ABSTRACT This article explores contested possible meanings of the term ‘impact’ used in recent initial teacher education review body and accreditation documentation in Australia. It proposes a model of program design that explicitly evidences graduate capabilities to generate effective teaching and learning in school classrooms. It argues that we cannot expect to recognise, generate, and evidence positive classroom impact unless pre-service teachers are equipped with the pedagogical content knowledge and habitus to look beyond teaching inputs to student outcomes. The article further argues for learning experiences in initial teacher education programs that forge teacher identities that develop pre-service teachers’ and supervising teachers’ awareness of impact consciousness. It draws upon assessment literature and examination of individual practice within a design-based research framework to propose a diagrammatic model of impact. The article presents programmatic assessment as a fresh lens to consider a program model that incrementally develops and evidences increasing levels of pre-service teacher impact consciousness.

Re-use of Building Products in the Netherlands

Re-use of Building Products in the Netherlands

A Review of Technology Research in HRD From a Design-Based Research Perspective

This review article is to examine the technology-related literature published in major human resource development (HRD) journals from a design-based research perspective. Despite the important role of technology in HRD activities for promoting organizational learning and performance, our understanding of the potential impact of our technology research efforts in the workplace remains limited. To address this deficiency, the authors reviewed technology research studies from five journals using two conceptual frameworks: (a) goal categories of technology research and (b) research phases and activities using a design-based research perspective, to better understand how technology research processes have been localized in organizations. Findings indicate that the major trend of technology research is in describing and conceptualizing what is happening. When using a design-based research framework, a substantial number of articles focused on analysis and reflection aspects of research activities. Implications for the technology research landscape in HRD are discussed.

Using human case studies to teach evolution in high school A.P. biology classrooms

BackgroundWhile recent research indicates that using human examples can be an engaging way to teach core evolutionary concepts such as natural selection and phylogenetic thinking, teachers still face potential conflicts and challenges that arise from cultural barriers to teaching and learning about evolution. The “Teaching Evolution through Human Examples” (TEtHE) project developed (1) a set of four curriculum mini-units for advanced placement (A.P.) biology that use human examples to teach evolutionary principles (Adaptation to Altitude, Evolution of Human Skin Color, Malaria, and What Does It Mean To Be Human?), and (2) a cultural and religious sensitivity (CRS) teaching strategies resource that includes background materials and two in-class activities to help teachers create a classroom environment to increase student willingness to engage the topic.MethodsThis paper reports on the development and field test of the TEtHE materials in A.P. biology classes in 10 schools in 8 states during the 2012–2013 school year using a design-based research framework (cf. Anderson and Shattuck in Educ Res 41:16–25, 2012). We chose A.P. classrooms to study the potential impacts of the materials in a “best case scenario” and analyzed data about understanding and acceptance of evolution from pre-post assessments in the 10 classrooms separately to mitigate potential validity concerns arising from the design (Anderson and Shattuck in Educ Res 41:16–25, 2012; Shadish et al. in Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 2002). These data were treated as a secondary source of formative data to add additional perspective to teacher self-reports, observations, student and teacher questionnaires, teacher interviews, and student focus groups.ResultsResults indicate that the use of the three curriculum mini-units which focus on natural selection and the CRS classroom activities generally increased A.P. biology students’ understanding and acceptance of evolution. Students whose teachers used one of the CRS activities showed generally larger increases in understanding of evolution than those whose teachers did not use one of the CRS activities.ConclusionsAlthough the utility of using human examples to teach evolution in college-level classes has been demonstrated in a few previous studies, this is the first national project of which we are aware to systematically explore the effect of a similar approach in high school biology classes. While we recognize that the results may be mitigated by the limitations of design-based research, particularly the absence of a comparison or control group, the general effectiveness of this approach suggested by qualitative and quantitative data in increasing student understanding and acceptance of evolution suggests that using human examples and explicitly creating a classroom environment to help students engage the topic of evolution are worth considering for further development and more robust testing.

A DBR framework for designing mobile virtual reality learning environments

This paper proposes a design based research (DBR) framework for designing mobile virtual reality learning environments. The application of the framework is illustrated by two design-based research projects that aim to develop more authentic educational experiences and learner-centred pedagogies in higher education. The projects highlight the first two phases of the DBR framework, involving the exploration of mobile virtual reality (VR) to enhance the learning environment, and the design of prototype solutions for the different contexts. The design of the projects is guided by a set of design principles identified from the literature.

Using Mobile Tools to Support Meaningful Work-based Learning in Vocational Education

This case study focused on meaningful work-based learning (WBL) and the pedagogical use of mobile information and communication technologies (ICTs) in vocational tourism education. The aim was to reveal how teaching/tutoring and learning are realized and how the use of smartphones supports the realization of meaningful learning characteristics during WBL periods in highly versatile environments. Within a design-based research framework, the data was collected through learning journals written by students and qualitative interviews. The results of thematic analysis were used to develop a practice-oriented pedagogical model for meaningful WBL. The model visualizes the roles of students, teachers, and companies involved in WBL, the meaningful learning characteristics that can be amplified through the use of mobile ICTs, and the outcomes for each stakeholder. The model suggests structuring WBL through four negotiations involving a student, a teacher, and a company to assure that each student has clearly formulated learning goals and possibilities to pursue those goals regardless of the mobility of their work or facilities during their WBL period.

Can grade-6 students understand quarks? Probing acceptance of the subatomic structure of matter with 12-year-olds

This study introduces a teaching concept based on the Standard Model of particle physics. It comprises two consecutive chapters –¬ elementary particles and fundamental interactions. The rationale of this concept is that the fundamental principles of particle physics can run as the golden thread through the whole physics curriculum. The design process was conducted from a constructivist perspective based on students’ documented conceptions. Three pillars underpin the whole teaching concept: a permanent model character, linguistic accuracy, and innovative typographic illustrations. Using the framework of design-based research, microteaching sessions with 20 Grade-6 students were conducted to probe its acceptance. The study focusses on learning processes of 12-year-olds with respect to elementary particles. Our findings indicate broad acceptance of most key ideas, but also avoidance when considering the permanent model character of physics. The most promising outcomes of the study are pure typographic illustrations. Not only were these thoroughly accepted by all students, but they also seem to reduce known misconceptions. Overall, students’ understanding of elementary particles improved fundamentally.

A Design Based Research Framework for Implementing a Transnational Mobile and Blended Learning Solution

The article proposes a modified Design-Based Research (DBR) framework which accommodates the various socio-cultural factors that emerged in the longitudinal PA-HELP research study at Central University College (CUC) in Ghana, Africa. A transnational team of stakeholders from Ghana, Canada, and the USA collaborated on the development, implementation, and subsequent modification of the DBR framework. The recommended framework is a result of lessons learned during this project in Ghana and as such, it is shaped by the need to be responsive to the local cultural and contextual contingencies. The article offers practical recommendations on the implementation of a mobile learning project in a cross-cultural setting, and provides a discussion of the salient cultural factors and the corresponding culturally-sensitive adaptations needed in the design research process. The Cross-Culture Design-Based Research (CC-DBR) framework is proposed to inform future transcultural m-learning studies.

Research as Design: Developing Creative Confidence in Doctoral Students Through Design Thinking

This paper explores the benefits of design thinking training to enhance doctoral student problemsolving ability, creative confidence, and emotional well-being. Our team adapted the design thinking curriculum taught by Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design to the challenges of developing and carrying out original research, and has taught thirteen workshops to over 240 graduate students, research staff, and faculty over two years. Using a design-based research framework, we reflect on our observation of the workshops, student debriefs, and a prepost survey of participants to assess the value of design thinking for doctoral education. We find that participants felt the workshops enhanced creativity, productivity, and confidence, participants appreciated applying the mindsets of a bias toward action and embracing experimentation to their research, participants learned to be mindful of their research process, and participants valued the emotionally supportive, nonjudgmental atmosphere cultivated in the workshops. The research suggests (1) that creative problem solving methods can be adopted by doctoral students and (2) that there is a demand for graduate training to more explicitly treat students’ intellectual needs in tandem with their emotional needs to create happy, productive researchers.

The Space Between: Pedagogic Collaboration between a Writing Centre and an Academic Department

The expectations placed on students with respect to appropriate academic writing may hinder successful participation in Higher Education. Full participation is further complicated by the fact that each discipline within the University constitutes its own community of practice, with its own set of literacy practices. While Writing Centres aim to help students navigate their apprenticeship into these practices, their location on the periphery of academic activity may undermine these efforts. This article reports on an intervention aimed at initiating a more integrated approach to the provision of writing development services. It was undertaken within a qualitative, interpretive design-based research framework. The results suggest that Writing Centres can add significant value by leveraging their unique location within universities, that is, in the spaces between academic disciplines, to assist students to achieve epistemological access to a discipline. Writing consultants (the focus of this study) need to interact with different academic discourses. The result is that they engage, to an extent, in disciplinary ‘boundary-hopping’. We argue that Writing Centres should facilitate this by fostering a space for engagement between disciplines. The article concludes by arguing that further research on using the interstices between disciplines as a resource for developing student academic writing is required.

Using a design-based research study to identify principles for training instructors to teach online

<p>Within the overall framework of design-based research, this paper reports on a study that focused on evaluating an online training course for online instructors. This intervention was designed as a possible solution to the problem facing some higher education institutions of how to provide quality, accessible training for mostly part-time instructors who are making the transition to teaching online. The research project explored whether the training course had any impact on the participants’ later teaching practice. The major outcome of this research study is the identification of design principles that can be used by other researchers and practitioners designing online instructor training.</p>

Building capacity: challenges and opportunities in large class pedagogy (LCP) in Sub-Saharan Africa

Over the past 20 years most countries, particularly developing countries, have seen a large increase in the number of students seeking higher education. A consequence of this growth is increasing pressure on teaching staff and institutions, usually resulting in, among other effects, increased class size. Large classes of between 300 and 1,000, and even more, at the undergraduate level are not uncommon in a number of countries (Mulryan-Kyne in Teach High Educ 15(2):175-185, 2010). Large classes are often per- ceived as one of the major obstacles to the attainment of quality education. Despite the difficulties associated with teaching and learning in large classes, they remain a reality in many countries affecting learners across all levels of the education system and are often the only perceived option available to meet growing demand for higher education in Sub- Saharan Africa (Mohamedbhai in The effects of massification on higher education in Africa. Report from the Working Group on Higher Education of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa, 2008). We contend that the challenges of delivering large classes can be confronted, and in many ways diminished, through the use of current and emerging technologies and enhanced faculty development. In this expository paper, we present findings from project activities focused on higher education faculty development and capacity building. The findings include both formative and summative development activities, as well as data collected in faculty professional development workshops and the results of two surveys. We use these data to lay out issues, challenges (e.g., skills, resources, logistics—including poor campus infrastructure), and opportunities (e.g., mobile capacity, distance tools such as Moodle) of large class pedagogy using a design-based research framework.

Adaptation by Design: A Context-Sensitive, Dialogic Approach to Interventions

Applied researchers, whether working with the framework of design-based research or intervention science, face a similar implementation challenge: practitioners who enact their programs typically do so in varied, context-specific ways. Although this variability is often seen as a problem for those who privilege fidelity and standardization, we argue for the advantages of researcher-practitioner collaborations that encourage local adaptation and ingenuity. We develop this argument for adaptive interventions by discussing two design-based research projects, Critical Civic Inquiry (CCI) and Science Literacy through Science Journalism (SciJourn), which create opportunities for youth to develop civics and science literacy respectively. CCI and SciJourn aim to build curricula that will travel to new schools and districts, but not through standardization. This is a delicate combination: the program must be flexible enough to enable productive adaptation, without being so protean that practitioners’ implementations lack substantive commonalities. We present two cases that show how project designers have sought to distinguish between invariant principles that define the intervention and heterogeneous practices that vary across sites. The cases also show how the model has improved when teachers can adapt it to their institutional context and when teachers and researchers establish social norms that encourage dialogic interactions.