Educational design research: Portraying, conducting, and enhancing productive scholarship
Medical Education, 55 (1):
82--92 (2021)Abstract
Context: Solutionism is the all-too-common human propensity to jump to a solution
before adequately understanding the nature of a problem. Solutionism has long been
prevalent in efforts to improve education at all levels, including medical education.
Thesis: Educational design research (EDR) is a genre of research that features the
gaining of in-depth understanding of a problem before any prototype solution is
designed and tested. It is different from other forms of scientific inquiry because
it is committed to the simultaneous development of both theoretical insights and
practical solutions, together with stakeholders. This approach is powerful for theory
building because it privileges ecologically valid studies that embrace the complexity
of investigating learning in authentic (as opposed to laboratory) settings. When conducted well, both the research process and its outcomes generate valuable contributions to practice.
Preview: This article constitutes an expository essay on EDR, comprised of three
movements. First, the approach is defined, its origins are presented, and its characteristics are described. Second, a generic model for conducting EDR is offered,
and illustrated with examples from the field of medical education. Third, pathways
towards advancing this form of inquiry are discussed, including ways to address inherent challenges and limitations, as well as recommendations for the medical education community. Although EDR is no panacea, this article illustrates how it can serve
medical education research in a wide variety of geographic and disciplinary contexts.