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Originating from the learning sciences community, design-based research (DBR) is attracting interest from many educational researchers including those focused on mathematics. Beyond its research role, it is being seen as a collaborative way to engage teachers in deep professional development leading not only to changes in skill but also in purpose. Previous reviews of the approach, however, have offered only cautious optimism for the capacity of DBR to support widespread or scalable change. This paper will use methods drawn from the digital humanities and social sciences to explore patterns relating to regional differences, theoretical underpinnings, practical implementation and methodological choice in recent DBR research in the domain of mathematics education. The findings suggest that much of the work presented as DBR might be better characterized as ‘implementation studies’ as they contain only limited commitment to theoretical development capable of supporting the scaling of innovation. The exceptions appear to occur in settings with well-developed research capacity which recognizes the need for ontological innovation of theory whilst iteratively and comprehensively exploring the complexities of authentic learning interventions. An example of a rich mathematical research study using DBR is provided to point to the potential for this methodology to achieve its overarching aims more fully.

Teamwork is a critical component in implementing effective interventions for students who experience disability. Qualitative data from a five-year design-based research project were analyzed to identify challenges that education teams faced and strategies they used when designing and implementing a set of online tools to increase awareness and engagement in hidden STEM career pathways for students who experience disability. Common challenges were related to project-specific knowledge, administrative support, and the district’s existing curriculum. The strategies teams used to overcome these challenges included reliance on a team member, task avoidance, and working within the local context. As we examined the teams’ challenges and the strategies they employed, elements of group development theory were identified. Considerations for practitioners and further research are discussed.

Achieving communicative competency in English classes has been a key goal in contexts where English is taught as a foreign language (EFL). During this process, however, integrating the difficulty and complexity of real life tasks into classroom teaching has often been disregarded. Lack of opportunities for authentic language use often results in learners' gaining extensive knowledge about the target language (know what) while they are weak in using the language in a meaningful way (know how). Accordingly, while learners can talk about grammar rules, they usually fail to use these rules for real communicative purposes in unstructured genuine settings. The present study employed a design-based research approach to investigate the use of authentic activities in EFL classes. For this purpose, an e-learning environment was created based on initial design principles of authentic activities and implemented in three pre-university level EFL classes in North Cyprus in two research cycles. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, work samples, and observations. In accordance with the findings and continuous literature review, 11 design principles were derived from the initial design principles for the EFL context in order to facilitate competency-based foreign language use.

Design-based research (DBR) evolved near the beginning of the 21st century and was heralded as a practical research methodology that could effectively bridge the chasm between research and practice in formal education. In this article, the authors review the characteristics of DBR and analyze the five most cited DBR articles from each year of this past decade. They illustrate the context, publications, and most popular interventions utilized. They conclude that interest in DBR is increasing and that results provide limited evidence for guarded optimism that the methodology is meeting its promised benefits.

Human-centered design (HCD) approaches to health care strive to support the development of innovative, effective, and person-centered solutions for health care. Although their use is increasing, there is no integral overview describing the details of HCD methods in health innovations. This review aims to explore the current practices of HCD approaches for the development of health innovations, with the aim of providing an overview of the applied methods for participatory and HCD processes and highlighting their shortcomings for further research. A narrative review of health research was conducted based on systematic electronic searches in the PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Sociological Abstracts (2000-2020) databases using keywords related to human-centered design, design thinking (DT), and user-centered design (UCD). Abstracts and full-text articles were screened by 2 reviewers independently based on predefined inclusion criteria. Data extraction focused on the methodology used throughout the research process, the choice of methods in different phases of the innovation cycle, and the level of engagement of end users. This review summarizes the application of HCD practices across various areas of health innovation. All approaches prioritized the user's needs and the participatory and iterative nature of the design process. The design processes comprised several design cycles during which multiple qualitative and quantitative methods were used in combination with specific design methods. HCD- and DT-based research primarily targeted understanding the research context and defining the problem, whereas UCD-based work focused mainly on the direct generation of solutions. Although UCD approaches involved end users primarily as testers and informants, HCD and DT approaches involved end users most often as design partners. We have provided an overview of the currently applied methodologies and HCD guidelines to assist health care professionals and design researchers in their methodological choices. HCD-based techniques are challenging to evaluate using traditional biomedical research methods. Previously proposed reporting guidelines are a step forward but would require a level of detail that is incompatible with the current publishing landscape. Hence, further development is needed in this area. Special focus should be placed on the congruence between the chosen methods, design strategy, and achievable outcomes. Furthermore, power dimensions, agency, and intersectionality need to be considered in co-design sessions with multiple stakeholders, especially when including vulnerable groups.

This two-year qualitative study explored the learning process alongside students' perceived outcomes within an interdisciplinary project-based learning (PjBL) task. Students from three different undergraduate courses were assigned a project that spanned across all three classes and placed student teams in the roles of client and contractor. Content analysis of reflective journals and focus groups provided a rich view of the learning experience from the student perspective. Findings from Year 1 demonstrated ways in which students had employed soft skills (e.g., communication, collaboration), but also revealed the need for changes to the course design to fully realize the interdisciplinary vision of the project. Findings from Year 2 showed how students negotiated the realistic tensions of the client-contractor relationship while working to develop both soft skills and hard skills (e.g., programming, design, market research). Overall, this study reveals how the interdisciplinary nature of this project supported important aspects of student learning that might not have occurred through a more traditional class project. In addition, it sheds light on the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration among instructors when designing a PjBL experience that pushes students to crosses disciplinary boundaries.

Researchers often develop teaching-learning solutions to improve the quality of instruction. Some of these solutions are developed in the paradigm of design-based research (DBR). The output of DBR projects goes beyond design products for practice and includes contributions to local theories about teaching-learning in specific subject areas and contexts as well as knowledge about how to design and implement these processes. Design knowledge and contributions to local theories are intended to construct a cumulative, content-specific body of knowledge about teaching and learning that is transferable to related subject areas or contexts. To make this process work, dimensions of DBR need to be systematically reported. However, DBR projects are sometimes criticized for focusing more on practical output than on reports about research output and the form of cooperation with practitioners. To empirically investigate these presumed voids, we examined DBR projects conducted by the German-speaking physics education research community during the past 20 years.