Designing and Developing Educational Product through Design-based Research
Design-based research, commonly known as DBR, in education involves iterative cycle that aims at refining pedagogical process. It is a methodological approach that scientifically potential to be applied in generating pedagogical media. It simply integrates theory and practice to solve real-world problems while simultaneously generating research insights.
Unlike traditional experimental designs, DBR operates within complex, naturalistic settings, making it especially useful for educational innovations. By blending the design and study of interventions in iterative cycles, DBR allows researchers to test and refine theories in practice, creating practical solutions that are responsive to the needs of practitioners. This dynamic process of improvement and learning underscores the adaptability and relevance of DBR in addressing contemporary challenges in education and other applied fields.
Some Examples of Academic Study Applying Design-based Research
A study applying design-based research covered (1) preliminary study; (2) prototyping; (3) assessment; and (4) systematic reflection as iterative instructional system design. The publication features the design and development of a web-published academic English module. The academic discussion behind the project is presented in Prototyping a Web-Published Academic English Coursebook for Indonesian Primary School Teacher Education Study Program Students (Abdullah, et.al., 2023).
The study addresses the prototyping phase of a web-published academic English coursebook, which is exclusively designed and developed to assist the 6th semester primary school teacher education study program students in learning academic English. Large-scale social restriction due to Covid-19 pandemic, which restricts any form of regular face-to-face meeting and the fact that an English coursebook has not been developed yet at the locus of the study led the authors to conduct the study. In the prototyping the artefact, standard web programming languages including PHP, HTML, and CSS are synergised. The study enrolled 5 classes consisting of 125 6th semester students majoring in primary school teacher education study program. Through iterative cycle of prototyping, the findings of the study provide an ideal design of a web-published academic English coursebook exclusively addressed to solve a contextual educational issue detected in the locus of this research, as mandated by literature on design-based research. Besides, this publication discusses ideas of web design and development that work for academic English learning purposes. In addition, this publication also deals with the effectiveness issue of the web-published academic English coursebook in assisting non-English major students in learning academic English through online distance learning delivery mode. This publication theoretically contributes to the domain of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) and instructional learning design.
Another study focuses on answering such research questions through design-based research (Ustun & Tracey, 2021):
- What practices are associated with making a blended learning course efficient and effective?
- What are the educator’s perceptions about their first experience of teaching a blended learning course? and
- Does the iterative process of this design-based research study improve the effectiveness and efficiencyof a blended learning course throughout the semester?
The study successfully addresses a gap in the literature regarding the systematic development and implementation of blended learning (BL) by inexperienced educators. It aims to assist an educator with no prior experience in teaching or designing BL courses, helping them select suitable technological resources and determine their strengths and weaknesses. The research focused on determining effective practices to guide the educator in creating an efficient and engaging BL course while documenting their experiences throughout the process. Key findings indicated that clear course goals, prior experience, and access to appropriate technologies—such as Google Documents and Blackboard Learn—played crucial roles in the course's design and implementation. BL enabled the educator to adopt active learning strategies, promote critical thinking, and foster collaborative learning among students. Despite time limitations being a challenge, the educator found the BL experience valuable and supportive. Though conducted with a small group of participants, the study offers valuable insights for both inexperienced educators and instructional designers aiming to improve BL course design through iterative refinement.
Another study addresses the issue of students' lack of engagement with assessment feedback and the absence of effective communication channels for feedback in educational institutions (Ada, 2018). Despite the potential benefits of mobile technologies for improving assessment feedback, there is limited research in this area, primarily due to the lack of a unified framework for mobile learning. To address this, the study presents the Mobile Learning Framework for Assessment Feedback (MLFAF), developed using a design-based research approach. MLFAF emerged from a project investigating the use of a mobile web application for both summative and formative assessment feedback. The framework provides design and implementation guidelines to foster student engagement and promote dialogic feedback communication through mobile technologies. The study contributes to the field of mobile learning by emphasizing the role of pedagogy in utilizing student-owned devices for assessment feedback. MLFAF serves as a tool for educators, researchers, and policymakers to better understand how mobile devices can enhance feedback processes, improve student engagement, and strengthen communication between students and lecturers. It also outlines the key factors that influence the success of mobile learning initiatives. Practitioners are encouraged to use MLFAF to guide the development and evaluation of long-term mobile learning strategies in various educational contexts. Further research is suggested to explore how engagement with assessment feedback may affect the framework's components and their effectiveness in different environments.
Another study aims at developing culturally appropriate Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) practices for teaching grammar in English classes in China (Yi & Pham, 2018). Using design-based research with 122 university students, the mixed-method study included questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions. The findings revealed several mismatches between Chinese teaching traditions and TBLT principles: (1) students struggled to acquire implicit knowledge, (2) they depended heavily on teacher instruction, (3) they were reluctant to engage in group work, and (4) they needed specific grammatical input while TBLT focused on holistic knowledge acquisition. To resolve these issues, the study made key adjustments to TBLT, such as adding grammatical input, promoting a focus on form, encouraging grammar discussions, fostering mutual corrective feedback, and involving the teacher as a facilitator. The study developed tools to help teachers and students effectively implement TBLT in non-Western educational contexts.
