Abstract
Educational Design Research (EDR) employs a diverse range of methods to study learning, teaching, design, and technology—and new ones are shared in this special issue. We contend that a focus on methods inherently requires examination of the questions they are used to answer and the ways in which the resulting findings advance scientific understanding. Specifically, this article focuses on obtaining and guarding methodological fit in EDR. It describes three main orientations to research inherent in EDR trajectories (research for, on, and through interventions), the kinds of questions we ask in each, how our methods evolve accordingly, and challenges to alignment that are often encountered along the way. Thereafter, it offers examples of the three orientations in two different doctoral studies on innovative educational technologies, each of which demonstrates methodological fit as well as relevance for practice despite the phase-related shifts in focus, questions, and methods. The article concludes with a framework for assessing methodological fit both within and across the three orientations to EDR in two studies, along with broader recommendations for conducting EDR in the field of educational technology.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bannan-Ritland, B. (2003). The role of design in research: The integrative learning design framework. Educational Researcher, 32(1), 21–24. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X032001021
Bakker, A. (2018). Design research in education: A practical guide for early career researchers. Routledge.
Barab, S. (2022). Design-based research: A methodological toolkit for engineering change. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (3rd ed., pp. 177–195). Cambridge University Press.
Barab, S., & Squire, K. (2004). Design-based research: Putting a stake in the ground. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 13(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327809jls1301_1
Becker, S., & Jacobsen, M. (2022). Exploring design practices and liminality as features of professional learning in an elementary makerspace. Information and Learning Sciences, 123(5/6), 233–251. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-08-2020-0192
Brown, A. L. (1992). Design experiments: Theoretical and methodological challenges in creating complex interventions in classroom settings. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 2(2), 141–178. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327809jls0202_2
Bulfin, S., Henderson, M., Johnson, N. F., & Selwyn, N. (2014). Methodological capacity within the field of “educational technology” research: An initial investigation. British Journal of Educational Technology, 45(3), 403–414.
Cobb, P., Confrey, J., diSessa, A., Lehrer, R., & Schauble, L. (2003). Design experiments in educational research. Educational Researcher, 32(1), 9–13. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X032001009
Collins, A., Joseph, D., & Bielaczyc, K. (2004). Design research: Theoretical and methodological issues. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 13(1), 15–42. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327809jls1301_2
De Coninck, K. (2019). Conceptualising, measuring, and developing parent-teacher communication competencies: Clinical simulations in teacher education. (Unpublished doctoral thesis). Ghent University, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8638745
De Coninck, K., Valcke, M., Dehaene, H., De Neve, J., & Vanderlinde, R. (2021). Exploring the effectiveness of clinical simulations to develop student teachers’ parent-teacher communication competences. Research Papers in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2021.1961291
De Coninck, K., Valcke, M., Ophalvens, I., & Vanderlinde, R. (2019). Bridging the theory-practice gap in teacher education: The design and construction of simulation-based learning environments. In K. Hellmann, J. Kreutz, M. Schwichow, & K. Zaki (Eds.), Kohärenz in der Lehrerbildung. Springer.
De Coninck, K., Valcke, M., & Vanderlinde, R. (2018). A measurement of student teachers’ parent-teacher communication competences: The design of a video-based instrument. Journal of Education for Teaching, 44(3), 333–352. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2018.1465656
De Coninck, K., Walker, J., Dotger, B., & Vanderlinde, R. (2020). Measuring student teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs about family-teacher communication: Scale construction and validation. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 64, 100820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2019.100820
Edelson, D. C. (2002). Design research: What we learn when we engage in design. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 11(1), 105–121. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327809JLS1101_4
Edmondson, A. C., & McManus, S. E. (2007). Methodological fit in management field research. Academy of management review, 32(4), 1246–1264.
Ejersbo, L. R., Engelhardt, R., Frølunde, L., Hanghøj, T., Magnussen, R., & Misfeldt, M. (2008). Balancing product design and theoretical insights. In Kelly, Lesh & Baek (Eds.), The handbook of design research methods in education: Innovations in science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning and teaching, pp. 149–164. Routledge.
Engeström, Y. (2011). From design experiments to formative interventions. Theory & Psychology, 21(5), 598–628. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354311419252
Friesen, S., & Jacobsen, M. (2021). Collaborative design of professional graduate programs in education. International Journal of Designs for Learning, 12(1), 64–76.
Gartmeier, M., Bauer, J., Fischer, M. R., Karsten, G., & Prenzel, M. (2011). Modellierung und Assessment professioneller Gesprächsführungskompetenz von Lehrpersonen im Lehrer-Elterngespräch (pp. 412–424). Stationen empirischer Bildungsforschung: Traditionslinien und Perspektiven.
Hevner, A. R. (2007). A three cycle view of design science research. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems, 19(2), 87–92.
Hoadley, C. M. (2004). Methodological alignment in design-based research. Educational Psychologist, 39(4), 203–212. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3904_2
Jacobsen, M., Alharbi, H., Taylor, L., Bairstow, L., & Roberts, V. (2021). The design and evaluation of online faculty development for effective graduate supervision. Open/Technology in Education, Society, and Scholarship Association Journal, 1(1), 1–21.
Lambert, D., & Jacobsen, M. (2020). Implementing an intervention into a grade six learning environment: A design-based research framework. Educational Design Research, 3(1), 1388. https://doi.org/10.15460/eder.3.1.1388
McKenney, S. (2018) How can the learning sciences (better) impact policy and practice? Journal of the Learning Sciences, 27(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508406.2017.1404404
McKenney, S., & Reeves, T. (2019). Conducting educational design research (2nd ed.). Routledge.
McKenney, S., & Reeves, T. C. (2020). Educational design research: Portraying, conducting, and enhancing productive scholarship. Medical Education, 55, 82–92. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.14280
Meyers, G. L. (2017). Building educational practice and culture in infection prevention and control: A design-based research study. University of Calgary.
Meyers, G., Jacobsen, M., & Henderson, E. (2018a). Understanding ICP educational practice: It’s more than meets the eye. Canadian Journal of Infection Control, 33(4), 198–203.
Meyers, G., Jacobsen, M., & Henderson, E. (2018b). Design-based research: Introducing an innovative research methodology to infection prevention and control. Canadian Journal of Infection Control, 33(3), 158–164.
Meyers, G., Jacobsen, M., & Henderson, E. (2018c). An exploration of IPAC educational intervention research: What do we mean by education? Canadian Journal of Infection Control, 33(2), 89–95.
Meyers, G., Jacobsen, M., & Henderson, E. (2019). Designing an innovative professional development experience to build ICP educational expertise. Canadian Journal of Infection Control, 34(1), 19–29.
Penuel, W. R. (2014). Emerging forms of formative implementation research in education. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 21(2), 97–117.
Plomp, T., & Nieveen, N. (Eds). (2013). Educational Design Research. SLO: Netherlands Institute for Curriculum Development.
Prestridge, S., Jacobsen, M., Mulla, S., Paredes, S., & Charania, A. (2021). New alignments for the digital age: Insights into connected learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 69, 2171–2186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-021-09968-5
Reeves, T. C. (2006). Design research from a technology perspective. In van den Akker, Gravemeijer, McKenney, & Nieveen (Eds.), Educational design research, pp. 52–66). Taylor & Francis.
Reeves, T. C., & Lin, L. (2020). The research we have is not the research we need. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(4), 1991–2001. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09811-3
Reeves, T. C., & Oh, E. G. (2017). The goals and methods of educational technology research over a quarter century (1989–2014). Educational Technology Research and Development, 65(2), 325–339. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9474-1
Sandoval, W. (2014). Conjecture mapping: An approach to systematic educational design research. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 23(1), 18–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508406.2013.778204
van Aken, J. E. (2004). Management research based on the paradigm of the design sciences: The quest for field-tested and grounded technological rules. Journal of Management Studies, 41(2), 219–246. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2004.00430.x
Van Den Akker, J. (1999) Principles and methods of development research. In: Van Den Akker, Nieveen, Branch, Gustafson & Plomp (Eds.) Design Methodology and Developmental Research in Education and Training, pp. 114. Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Van den Akker, J., Gravemeijer, K., McKenney, S., & Nieveen, N. (2006). Educational design research. Routledge.
Van der Linden, S. (2022). Supporting teacher reflection in video-coaching settings. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Twente.
Walker, J. M. T., & Dotger, B. H. (2012). Because wisdom can’t be told: Using comparison of simulated parent-teacher conferences to assess teacher candidates’ readiness for family-school partnership. Journal of Teacher Education, 63(1), 62–75. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487111419300
Zheng, L. (2015). A systematic literature review of design-based research from 2004 to 2013. Journal of Computers in Education, 2(4), 399–420. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-015-0036-z
Funding
No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
Ethical approval
Given this is a conceptual paper, it did not include primary research with human participants; thus, ethical approval was not required.
Consent to participate
This work includes structured analysis of existing, published studies. As data were not collected from individuals, informed consent was not required.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Jacobsen, M., McKenney, S. Educational design research: grappling with methodological fit. Education Tech Research Dev (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10282-5
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10282-5