Abstract

Design research has been gaining momentum in recent years, particularly in the field of educational studies. This has been evidenced by prominent journal articles (e.g. Burkhardt & Schoenfeld, 2003), book chapters (e.g. Richey, Klein, & Nelson, 2004) as well as books (e.g. van den Akker, Branch, Gustafson, Nieveen, & Plomp, 1999) and special issues of journals dedicated specifically to the topic (Educational Researcher 32(1), 2003; Journal of the Learning Sciences 13(1), 2004) or to the more general need to revisit research approaches, including design research (Journal of Computing in Higher Education 16(2), 2005). Definition of the approach is now beginning to solidify, but also to differentiate. As methodological guidelines and promising examples begin to surface with abundance, pruning becomes necessary (Kelly, 2004). Dede (2004) as well as Gorard, Roberts and Taylor (2004), call for the educational research community to seriously reflect on setting standards that improve the quality of this approach.

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