The Educational Design Research Approach

This chapter introduces the educational design researchEducational design research (EDREDR) approach, which consists of two essential stages (i.e., preliminary research and prototyping)Prototyping and an optional assessmentAssessment stage. The preliminary research stage focuses on understanding the contextContext” and proposing a tentative solution to address a contextual problem. It involves context analysis, problem analysis, needs analysis, and literature review. The outcome of this stage is the establishment of initial guiding principles. The prototypingPrototyping stage aims to enhance the quality of an intervention through iterative processes of design, development, formative evaluation, and revision. Its goal is to gradually refine the intervention and create a high-quality intervention. The assessmentAssessment stage, if included, serves to further investigate the effectiveness of the designed intervention. EDR has two primary purposes: product improvement and knowledge contribution. Through the prototypingPrototyping stage, an optimal intervention is progressively developed, and design principlesDesign principle are synthesized to contribute to the research field. ToEducational design research ensure the quality of the intervention, three hierarchical criteria are to be met: validityDesign principle, practicality, and effectiveness.