Design Research in the educational context
The most important argument to choose for design research stems from the desire to increase the relevance of research for (educational) practice and policy. That is the statement the editors of this volume on design research, van den Akker, Gravemeijer, McKenney and Nieveen, start with. That is a good reason indeed and it is exactly what drives me in my own research.
In this volume they bring together theory and practical examples of design research, also referred to as design studies, development(al) research, formative research or formative evaluation. The context is that of education but I found the book to contain interesting notions for the context of HRD as well.
McKenney, Nieveen and van den Akker, in chapter five, look at design research from a curriculum perspective. They see three kinds of output from design research (similar to the three aspects curriculum should be oriented to):
- Knowledge: they regard knowledge as the primary output of design research. This usually takes the form of design principles. They state that "design principles are not intended as recipes for success, but to help others select and apply the most appropriate substansive and procedural knowledge for specific design and development tasks in their own setting" (pp. 73)
- Society: The secondary output consists of the products (e.g. programmes, teacher guides, tools, online environments) that are developed during the course of the research.
- Learner: The professional development of the participants in the research is mentioned as the tertiary output of design research. The data-collection methods can be designed and used to stimulate reflection, dialogue and engagement.
This book offers guidelines for conducting design research, it offers insights in its deliverables, as well as its pitfalls. It can be ordered via Bol or Amazon.
Van den Akker, J., Gravemeijer, K., McKenney, S., & Nieveen, N. (2006). Educational design research. London: Routledge.
