Educational Design Research Research Articles

Интервью «Мы объединились с европейской ассоциацией исследователей образования, чтобы помочь молодым, а значит, помочь российской науке»

This interview with Arkadiy Margolis, the first vice-rector of MSUPE, focuses on the issues related to the recently acquired membership of the Russian Educational Research Association in the European Educational Research Association (EERA). The Moscow State University of Psychology and Education played an important part in this process which enables Russian researchers to access the entire space of European educational research, to increase their publishing activity, and to participate in foreign international conferences. Also, this means support for young researchers allowing them, for instance, to take part in international schools for young scholars and to acquire new knowledge about modern research tools and design in educational research. All this became possible after a year and a half of hard work of improving ethical requirements and codes of research. MSUPE’s participation in the activities of the Educational Research Association corresponds with the University’s interest in promoting research which became obvious during the development and implementation of the innovative programme of education – the one that won the National Competition for Priority Project in Education all the way back in 2008.

Enhancing Educational Technology Confidence among Teacher Candidates: Benefits of and Lessons Learned from a 1:1 Device University-Elementary School Partnership

Aim/Purpose: This study describes and evaluates a teacher preparation program that combines a school-university partnership and a 1:1 device initiative. Background: This educational design research report combines a 1:1 technology device experience with a school-university partnership to enhance teacher preparation for educational technology use. Methodology: This is a mixed-methods educational design research study. Interview responses share benefits and lessons learned from the program experience. Survey responses give information about educational technology confidence among teacher candidates who took part in this program. Contribution: This study provides a description of a unique teacher preparation program designed to enhance educational technology confidence among teacher candidates and shares lessons learned from this experience in light of collected data. Findings: Teacher candidates’ social outcome expectations for using technology were increased. Qualitative data indicate that the program also benefitted elementary school teachers by enhancing educational technology confidence and providing extra help. Recommendations for Practitioners: University teacher candidates should be given more embedded technology-focused classroom experiences. Smaller university class sizes are necessary to support these types of experiences. Recommendation for Researchers: Future studies could more deeply investigate how school-university partnership programs with technology affect teacher candidates’ social outcome expectations and educational technology confidence. Impact on Society: Approaches to teacher preparation similar to the one presented in this study can enhance students’ social outcome expectations for using technology. Future Research: Future studies could investigate various educational technology initiatives’ effects on teacher candidates’ educational technology confidence and share teacher preparation program designs aimed at enhancing educational technology use.

International Recognition of FormAkademisk

FormAkademisk was invited to the Design Journal Editors' Meeting at the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), University of Cincinnati in late October, as the only design research journal from the Nordic region. The meeting was organized in advance of the International Association of Societies of Design Research (IASDR) 2017 conference.Liv Merete Nielsen, who initiated the creation of FormAkademisk and has been a Section Editor since the start-up and I, who have been the Editor-in-Chief for the entire period, travelled to the meeting.FormAkademisk was in good company - among the others invited, we can mention the American Design Issues and the British Design Studies, both of which are at Level 2 of the Norwegian Science Index - NVI. Other reputable journals invited were the International Journal of Design from Taiwan, She Ji - The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation from Tongji University in Shanghai, China, Design and Culture from the United States, Co-Design from the United Kingdom, Information Design Journal published in the Netherlands with an international editorial board, Journal of Design, Business & Society with an international editorial board, the French Sciences du Design and Visible Language published at the University of Cincinnati, USA who hosted the meeting.First, we warmed up by describing each journal's editorial profile. For FormAkademisk we emphasized that we have two equal focuses – research in design, but also research in design education for the general public. This combination seems to be unique internationally.Common issues we discussed further were challenges with the quality of submitted articles and obtaining qualified peer reviewers. We also discussed whether we would agree on a common understanding of what it means to be included as an author of an article. Based on the discussions, FormAkademisk comes well prepared compared to the other internationally leading design research journals.After the meeting in Cincinnati, there have been lively discussions on email between those invited to the Design Journal Editors' Meeting in Cincinnati in October. We look forward to the next meeting to discuss common challenges for research journals in design and design education, especially in connection with the largest international design research conferences.We also want workshops in peer review and article writing. A common issue for the journals is finding good peer reviewers who can review the articles. We therefore encourage anyone who is asked to say yes. Keep in mind that for each article you submit for review, there are two peer reviewers who stand up for you!

Using Analytics to Transform a Problem-Based Case Library: An Educational Design Research Approach

Using Analytics to Transform a Problem-Based Case Library: An Educational Design Research Approach

Using relational cultural theory in education research design

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an emic view of how one researcher negotiated complex relationships in teacher education research and learned to employ the principles of the relational cultural theory (RCT) to create a research design aimed at building and sustaining relationships with participants.Design/methodology/approachThe authors offer illustrative qualitative data examples from teacher education research to highlight complexities in research relationships, essential elements of the RCT, and the affordances RCT can offer qualitative researchers invested in similar work.FindingsBy engaging pre-service teachers and ourselves as mutually engaged in this process, the authors put into practice a sense of community and relationship building the authors hope pre-service teachers will practice with their future students.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper provides a qualitative research design employing tenets of the RCT which centers relationships as critical to the research process. The authors offer affordances and limitations to using the RCT in research.Practical implicationsSeveral affordances are offered to researchers interested in engaging in similar work.Originality/valueThis paper offers an original perspective of how one researcher in teacher education negotiated complex relationships and learned to employ the principles of the RCT within these to build a research design aimed at widening research and practice in teacher education through productive and lasting relationships.

Using Backward Design in Education Research: A Research Methods Essay.

Education research within the STEM disciplines applies a scholarly approach to teaching and learning, with the intent of better understanding how people learn and of improving pedagogy at the undergraduate level. Most of the professionals practicing in this field have ‘crossed over’ from other disciplinary fields and thus have faced challenges in becoming experts in a new discipline. In this article, we offer a novel framework for approaching education research design called Backward Design in Education Research. It is patterned on backward curricular design and provides a three-step, systematic approach to designing education projects: 1) Define a research question that leads to a testable causal hypothesis based on a theoretical rationale; 2) Choose or design the assessment instruments to test the research hypothesis; and 3) Develop an experimental protocol that will be effective in testing the research hypothesis. This approach provides a systematic method to develop and carry out evidence-based research design.

Design Learning for Tomorrow

This special issue of Form Akademisk consist of four selected peer reviewed articles developed from papers held at The 3rd International Conference for Design Education Researchers - DRS/CUMULUS learnxdesign conference held in Chicago from the 28th of June – 30th of June 2015. The conference was implemented through close cooperation between the Design Research Society (DRS) and the International Association of Universities and Schools of Design, Art and Media (CUMULUS). It was hosted by School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Student participation in learning environment improvement: analysis of a co-design project in a Finnish upper secondary school

The present educational design research involved analysing Finnish upper secondary school students’ participation in the improvement of their psychosocial and technology-enhanced physical learning environment (LE). It examined which LE characteristics students considered important when redesigning their LE, and whether they felt that their ideas for improvement had been taken into account in the LE change process and if there was an improvement in these characteristics. A Learning Environment Design (LED) framework balancing the various LE dimensions, namely, communality and individuality, comfort and health, novelty and conventionality, was utilised in the analysis for four sets of data collected for four cycles: (a) co-design activities (students, n = 11) and (b) student feedback (n = 175); (c) professional design evaluation (students, n = 2); and (d) student satisfaction survey (n = 83). Students considered all LE dimensions important. In addition, they felt that their wishes were generally taken into account in the redesign and also they perceived an improvement in most of the LE characteristics. Student involvement helped to avoid overly radical changes, fostered a participatory culture, and contributed to understanding what students view as important to their learning and wellbeing. The study demonstrated the usefulness of the LED-framework for LE design and suggests content-related design principles to serve as a starting point in LE improvement projects involving learners.

Models for collaborative professional development for teachers in mathematics

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe a review of the most frequently cited English articles of five models of collaborative professional development for mathematics teachers, aiming to describe the character of the development addressed and its quality issues.Design/methodology/approachThe most frequently cited articles were chosen for their impact on the scientific discourse; they identify what aspects of the models are most focused and of interest. The research questions were: how is professional development described in the articles?, and what improvements are the models trying to increase or what problem are the models trying to solve? The review of these articles was also analyzed in relation to four quality indicators for praxis improvement (Holmqvist Olander, 2015): (A) ecological validation for predictive power, (B) generalization in theory, (C) cross-setting interventions, and (D) continuing professional development.FindingsThe result shows differences in focus. Educational action research focuses on solving the participants’ problem in the school environment while learning study tests different instructional designs to find the most powerful relationship between instruction and student learning. Lesson study and teacher research groups are collaborative professional development models integrated into the teachers’ ordinary work to develop everyday teaching and learning, and educational design research is mainly designed by researchers studying areas of interests, which can be shared by teachers.Research limitations/implicationsThe articles used for the analysis are a selection, and not a total sample of everything published about the models. This can be both a limitation and strength. A very small sample of typical studies is used for the analysis, even though the models are used in several other situations and contexts as well, which can be seen as a limitation. However, as the selection of articles have the strongest impact on the research of each model, as they are the most cited articles and affect the way they are used. The contexts differ and this can be seen as a limitation as the models might be more efficient in some cultural settings than other.Practical implicationsBased on the articles’ findings, these five models can all be recommended to develop students’ mathematical knowledge as well as teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge. The results of this review can be used to guide what model to use depending on the need for professional development.Social implicationsOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2015) and Hattie (2013) state that effective professional development is positioned as close to practice as possible, and that research questions should be raised and outcomes tested in teachers’ workplaces as a form of collaborative professional development. There is a contradiction between such claims and how we traditionally value research. Collaboration with teachers in research projects can, as well as aiming to have an impact on practice, sometimes be considered to be less scientific than a more objective standpoint that follows traditional indicators of scientific quality. This review shows how professional development can inform practice-based research and contribute with new knowledge of how to develop teaching and learning in the classroom.Originality/valueThe overview is different from an ordinary research review, as the focus is on the most cited articles. This is made to capture the main shape of how the models are presented in an international research context as the articles have an impact of how the models are understood and shared between contexts in different countries.

A Provocative Approach for Communication with Low-Proficient Children: Examining How the Interactive Role of Teachers and Children Changes

Low-proficient children need to be engaged in high-quality oral interaction as soon as possible. Educational design research was conducted to discover elements of a provocative approach to enhance language and thought development of these children. These elements are presented and illustrated. Interactions were analysed in order to assess how teachers and children changed their role in the interactions, when teachers applied the approach. Results show that change is indeed possible, but not for everyone, nor to the same extent. Implications for teaching and professional learning initiatives are proposed.

Architecting the ‘third teacher’: Solid foundations for the participatory and principled design of schools and (built) learning environments

AbstractThis issue of theEuropean Journal of Educationexamines a crucially important, though largely overlooked, area in educational design research: architecting and building physical educational environments. Effective policymaking in school design necessitates the negotiated, shared and timely input of key educational stakeholders, including policymakers, architects, educational designers, pupils, teachers, and parents. Furthermore, practical, participatory and principled examples of the design and construction of bespoke learning spaces are warranted to guide those formulating and implementing policy, particularly the commissioning and construction of built educational environments. The articles exemplify how to engage diverse, key stakeholders in participatory design of school buildings, whilst practically illustrating design innovations in context. This commentary article offers reflections on the respective articles, informed by extant, relevant research on the history and praxis of school building design internationally. This includes the Reggio Emilia Schools’ socio‐material concept of ‘the third teacher’, a philosophy that is particularly germane to the participatory design of contemporary (built) learning environments. The article concludes with design sensitivities and SEAM framework (space,engagement,aestheticityandmedia), which can be used to explore and extend further the concepts, methods and technologies outlined in this issue.

Robust (and Ethical) Educational Research Designs.

Educational research can be quite confusing to individuals without formal training in educational research methods. Many educators trained in "high-consensus" fields such as the health and medical sciences often expect to utilize the same esteemed experimental and quasi-experimental designs in their educational research efforts, but are surprised to learn that this is often impossible for ethical reasons. This article presents five robust research designs that generally are compatible with education studies, and discusses how each design may be used in a variety of educational research scenarios.

Developing an Integrative STEM Curriculum for Robotics Education Through Educational Design Research

This paper presents an integrative standards-based STEM curriculum that uses robots to develop students’ computational thinking. The need for the project is rooted in both the overall lack of existing materials as well as the need for materials that directly address specific STEM standards in an integrative fashion. The paper details the first mesocycle of an educational design research project (EDR) in which a robust theoretical framework was created to support the development of a 2-week series of robotics lessons. Analysis of evaluation data from 5 fifth-grade teachers and their students revealed that the integrative curriculum supported student problem solving and teacher practices that supported cognitive demand. Implications for research, design, and instruction are discussed.

Designing and Improving a Blended Synchronous Learning Environment: An Educational Design Research

<p class="3">In this study, a blended synchronous learning environment (BSLE) was created to support a group of graduate students when they were taking a course. Instruction was delivered to both face-to-face (F2F) and online students simultaneously. The purpose of this paper is to present how this BSLE was gradually designed, implemented, and improved by following the educational design research approach. Results showed that the BSLE environment had the capability to support online and classroom students at the same time and provide equivalent learning experiences for them, but challenges emerged in the process. Design principles were summarized to guide researchers or teachers when they design similar learning environments.</p>

Metaphoric cartography as dual-layered practitioner inquiry: Arts-based educational research in the construction of place

ABSTRACTAs place is intimately tied to students' lived experiences, investigations into place can illuminate knowledge of students, schools, and communities and serve as inspiration for future place-based curricular endeavors. This study, through a dual-layered, arts-based educational research (ABER) design, offered student teachers the opportunity to conduct firsthand, sensory investigations into place, the spaces of their larger teaching context, and allowed their instructor to examine their learning of place and consider implications for the practice of teacher education. Through psychogeographically wandering and mapping their school zones, student teachers developed understandings of the physical landscape, mental conceptions of place, and fledgling critical geographies. These critical geographies represented mergers of place, student lived experience, and critical pedagogy as student teachers began to reconceptualize their teaching practice in terms of place. Through the act of sculpturally and metaphorically mapping student teachers' explorations, the instructor identified levels of student teachers' sense of place, noted the vital role of their critical geographies, and considered how her future teaching practice might support further development of these critical geographies. This study suggests a second layer of ABER can be generative as it has the potential to stimulate critical reflections on pre-service teachers' learning and offer insight into the process of engaging pre-service teachers in research.

Enabling Capabilities: Innovation and Development in the Outer Hebrides

The existing challenges to non-profit heritage organisations are increasing in these volatile and austere climates. Particularly, existing organisational and strategic mission developments are needed to enable more resilient organisations. This paper explores the relationship between Ionad Hiort and the Glasgow School of Art’s Institute of Design Innovation (INDI) as a six-month case study for understanding how design innovation can build creative capabilities within this unique partnership. In this case, the “building” of a new type of heritage centre on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. It focuses on the concept of innovation in approaching complex situations as an alternative to existing means of problem solving. Through a series of workshops and engaging informal sessions a new strategy was built, which focused the group’s potential. The outcome being a new way to build confidence within communities and build new relationships, enabling new creative capabilities within a rural island community.

Artful Dodgers: an arts education research project in early education settings

Artful Dodgers is an arts education project developed by two artists and delivered in two early years settings located in two areas of urban disadvantage. It is a music and visual arts programme designed and implemented with early years teachers of children aged 3–5 years. It explored whether the provision of high-quality arts experiences could enhance children’s emerging literacy and numeracy. A novel ‘artist in(formed) residency’ model was developed within a unique arts education research design. Piloting a tripartite relationship between researchers, artists and early years teachers, this study was situated within a qualitative action research paradigm, with both artists located in both services weekly over a 12-week period. The evaluation of the programme indicates changes in pedagogical planning and style in the early years teachers over the period of the artists’ residency. Their language became more reflective and their practice incorporated a wider and richer range of materials; there was greater evidence of more child-led activities and unstructured play opportunities over the duration of the study. The data suggest that children’s social, cooperative and communication skills were enhanced. Recommendations have implications for the professional development of artists and teachers working in early years settings.

Connecting learning from the graphic design project with thinking about approaches to design practice

Abstract This study explores how a structured approach to reflective practice can guide graphic design students to connect their learning from the project with thinking about approaches to design practice. The research employed a case-study approach with a mixed-method research strategy, framed by theories of reflective practice and cognitive psychology. The results indicate that when guided to reflect in a structured and critical manner, students can identify and analyse learning from their project and connect this learning with thinking about approaches to practice. This occurred in a manner that has parallels with the concept of high- and low-road transfer. However, not all participants achieved this, and nor did participants achieve this all the time. This evidence-based study contributes to the limited empirical research in graphic design education, and to the role reflection can play to enhance learning opportunities from the design project.

Learning outcomes for communication skills across the health professions: a systematic literature review and qualitative synthesis

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to identify and analyse communication skills learning outcomes via a systematic review and present results in a synthesised list. Summarised results inform educators and...

The logic of design research

ABSTRACTSince the first descriptions of design research (DR), there have been calls to better define it to increase its rigour. Yet five uncertainties remain: (1) the processes for conducting DR, (2) how DR differs from other forms of research, (3) how DR differs from design, (4) the products of DR, and (5) why DR can answer certain research questions more effectively than other methodologies. To resolve these uncertainties, we define educational design research as a meta-methodology conducted by education researchers to create practical interventions and theoretical design models through a design process of focusing, understanding, defining, conceiving, building, testing, and presenting, that recursively nests other research processes to iteratively search for empirical solutions to practical problems of human learning. By better articulating the logic of DR, researchers can more effectively craft, communicate, replicate, and teach DR as a useful and defensible research methodology.