Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011 - rees2009

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) Página 362 de 957
This iteration also provides an inherent flexibility in the DBR process: for example,
researchers are able to respond to the real-world variation and unpredictability in their
subject (such as the decisions and directions provided by students) in the re-iteration
process. This has been critical to our research into the co-creation of learning intent as
described below.
One of the fundamental attributes of DBR is its commitment to delivering outcomes, as
both theories and practical interventions. As summarised by Edelson, these fall into three
main areas: domain theories, which relate to „learning situations involving students,
teachers, learning environments and their interactions‟; design frameworks, which lead
to guidelines that provide a solution to a particular type or class of design challenge, and
design methodologies, which are guidelines and prescriptions for implementing a set of
designs. Thus DBR ultimately aims to provide generalisations from the current context
that support, expand or otherwise improve other contexts.
Methodology and Findings
Design-based research theory informs the practice of DBR directly. Because it is an
iterative, practice-based, embodied and lived methodology, in which, to draw on quantum
physics, the observer becomes the observed, the findings inform subsequent iterations
and therefore need to be discussed concurrently. In the author‟s case, the methodology
used is summarised in Figure 1.
Figure 1: The author’s design-based research process
Figure 1 shows a number of important features. The first thing to note is that there are
three main components or phases, with the individual researcher (the author) playing a
role in each:
Proceedings of Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011
Madrid, 4 th - 7 th October 2011