Slettenhaar, H.K.

Vries, S.A. de

English

Slettenhaar, Dick

de Vries, Sjoerd A.

University of Twente Research Information

 Instituut ELAN Instituut voor Expertise-ontwikkeling in het VO Lerarenopleiding Aansluiting VO-HO Nascholing in het VO      DeResA: a DEsign RESearch Approach       H.K. Slettenhaar, ELAN, Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of TwenteS.A. de Vries, Communication Studies, Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of Twente (2006)              ELAN doc 2006 – 011 december 2006 GW-ELAN.06.326  Universiteit Twente GW - ELAN Postbus 217 7500 AE ENSCHEDE  tel.: 053 - 489 3560 fax: 053 - 489 4755 elan@edte.utwente.nl http://www.utwente.nl/elan   DeResA: a Design Research Approach  H.K. Slettenhaar, ELAN, Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of Twente & S.A. de Vries, Communication Studies, Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of Twente, (2006). En-schede, Nederland: Universiteit van Twente.         2 Slettenhaar & De Vries (2006). DeResA.   Inhoudsopgave  1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................4 2 DERESA, THE MODEL..............................................................................................................................4 2.1 INSPIRATORS.........................................................................................................................................4 2.2 SYNTHESIS............................................................................................................................................4 2.3 TWO RESEARCH CYCLES ........................................................................................................................5 2.4 VAN HIELE ............................................................................................................................................5 3 DERESA IN USE........................................................................................................................................6 3.1 DERESA AT THE MESO-LEVEL ................................................................................................................6 3.2 RESEARCH APPROACH UNDER PARADIGM CHANGE ..................................................................................6 3.3 DERESA AT THE ‘SQUARE MILLIMETRE’ ...................................................................................................6 4 DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................................................6 5 REFERENCES ...........................................................................................................................................6        3Slettenhaar & De Vries (2006). DeResA.   1 Introduction In this text a model for design research is presented. It is developed to understand the various steps of performing research and to facilitate the instrumentation of the steps.  2 DeResA, the model 2.1 Inspirators Gravemeijer (2001) sees (developmental) research as a process in which thought experiment and practise experiment alternate. A thought experiment leeds to an Hypothetical Execution Tra-jectory (HET) which contains goals, plans and hypothesis of the execution of the HET. In the following practise experiment the HET is performed, which leads to some sort of results. After that, as part of the next thought experiment, a reflection on the results takes place. New in-sights are gained, which lead to the growth of know how, the conjectured local theory. Based upon this reflection the next thought experiment is performed, or the gained insights are laid down in the conjectured local theory, i.e. in the form of a proven concept.  Streefland (1994) sees (developmental) research from the point of view of the level theory of Van Hiele (1986) as a (collective) learning process of progressive theorizing which connects the con-jectured local theory to general theory. In his view this kind of research is both theory driven (from existing theory) and theory aimed (at new theory).  Van den Akker (1999) distinguishes three phases in (constructivist developmental) research: the preliminary phase with a front-end analysis which leads to a prototype. The prototype is evalu-ated with formative evaluation. The next phase is the formative phase in which the pilot is im-proved by formative evaluation. The last phase is the retrospective phase in which the final ver-sion of the pilot is reformulated into a design by summative evaluation. He distinguishes three cri-teria for the design: quality, coherence and practicality. One might state that whether the research undertaken satisfies more or less the criterion ‘practicality’ determines whether the research un-dertaken is more practical or more fundamental by nature.  2.2 Synthesis From these approaches we distill our approach. The STM-model (see Figure 3) includes four dy-namic blocks: three research blocks (the studies) and a scientific discourse block, and seven sta-tic blocks which contain a question, design, a plan, results or theory.  The design research approach starts with a design problem. With this design problem in mind an analysis study is entered. An analysis is made of the existing theory, which leads to possible de-signs and their implementation. Based on this analysis, decisions are made regarding the design and implementation of the design. These decisions can be described in a plan. The analysis stu-dy also leads to the first hypotheses in the conjectured local theory. The analysis study corre-sponds to the front end analysis of Van den Akker (1999). The plan is input for the development study, where the preparations are made for the implemen-tation study. The outcome of the development study is the (hypothetical) concept design (HCD) which contains goals, plans, guidelines and hypotheses of the contextual and executional as-pects of the HCD.   4 Slettenhaar & De Vries (2006). DeResA.           Domain of Theory Formation Existing theory  Figure 3: DeResA: A practical design research approach   The HCD is input for the implementation study in which the HCD is tested. This test leads to re-sults, data of some form. The results are input for the development study, where in the context of the HCD the results are interpreted. These interpretations are input for the scientific discourse, where the interpretations are discussed in the context of existing theory and the local theory under construction. Output is an adjusted local theory which deters the adjustment of the plan and the HCD with which another cycle of developmental study and implementation study is entered.  2.3 Two research cycles DeResA contains two cycles that are of great importance for theory formation. The cycle ‘Development Study’ -> ‘HCD’ -> ‘Implementation Study’ -> ‘Results’ -> ‘Development Study’ might be called the empirical cycle. It is the cycle in which a (hypothetical) concept design is tested in reality. The cycle ‘Development Study’ -> ‘Scientific Discourse’ -> ‘Conjectured Local Theory’ -> ‘Devel-opment Study’ might be called the theory formation cycle. In this cycle new theory is generated.  2.4 Van Hiele In this design research approach the Van Hiele Levels are eminent in two ways. In the first place in the three domains. The domain of the praxis experiment is Van Hiele Level 0, the level that is about ‘things themselves’. The domain of the thought experiment is Van Hiele Level 1, the level of the relations with other ‘things’. The domain of the theory formation is Van Hiele Level 2, the level of ‘know how’. In the second place The Van Hiele Levels are present in the development of Domain of Praxis Experiment       Domain of Thought Experiment Conjectured local theory Analysis study Development study Proven design Implemen- tation study Plan Results  Hypothetical Concept  Design  Scientific discours Design problem  5Slettenhaar & De Vries (2006). DeResA.   the conjectured local theory, in the way Streefland (1994) describes them. These Van Hiele Lev-els are hidden in the model.  In order to be useful the transitions between the various phases of the STM have to be equipped with instruments. These instruments will be context dependent. A series of researches will be performed in order to develop these instruments.   3 DeResA in use 3.1 DeResA at the meso-level DeResA was first applied in Slettenhaar, De Vries, Beun en Verwaard (2006). This showed that DeResA is a model that very convenient enables to describe and discuss the various steps in the design research performed.  3.2 Research approach under paradigm change With the research cycles in mind, DeResA enables us to show the differences in research ap-proaches due to paradigm changes.  The mechanics of Newton where developed by ‘measuring is knowing’. It leans heavily on the empirical cycle. The theory formation cycle is only entered to formulate new theory. Einstein introduced the thought experiment as a scientific method. From then on, the theory for-mation cycle is the central cycle for theory formation. The empirical cycle is only entered to show that the predictions of a theoretical construction come true. This shift coincided with the paradigm shift from theory as an ‘objective truth’ to the intersubjec-tive construction of theory.  3.3 DeResA at the ‘square millimetre’ In a one-to-one participating observation as a research method in e.g. a didactical research, in which the researcher bases his next intervention on the outcome of the former one, the re-searches goes through both cycles many times. His first intervention is in the empirical cycle. The outcome of this forces him to enter the theory formation cycle in order to try to understand this outcome in the context of the conjectured local theory. This helps him to find the next suitable in-tervention. In this kind of research both cycles have the same importance.   4 Discussion In this text a design research approach, DeResA, is presented. It is applied in three different situations. The model shows to be able describe various aspects of doing research. DeResA will be applied in researches in order to develop the instrumentation of the model.  5 References Akker, J. van den (1999). Principles and methods of developmental research. In: Akker, J. Van den, Branch, R., Gustafson, K., Nieveen, N. & Plomp, Tj. (Eds.), Design Approaches and Tools in Education and Training. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.  Freudenthal, H. (1991). Revisiting Mathematics Education. China Lectures. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Gravemeijer, K. (2001). Developmental Research: Fostering a Dialectic Relationship between Theory and Practice. In: J. Anghileri (Ed). Principles and Practice of Arithmetic Teaching. Lon-don: Open University Press.    6 Slettenhaar & De Vries (2006). DeResA.   Hiele, P. M. van (1986). Structure and Insight: a Theory of Mathematics Education, Orlando [Fla.]  Academic Press . H.K. Slettenhaar, S.A. de Vries, Jos Beun en Steven Verwaard (2006). Professionalising in Lab platforms. Paper. The first European conference on Practice-based and Practitioner Research. Leuven, oktober 2006. Streefland, L. (1994). Theoretiseren in ontwikkelingsonderzoek (Theorizing in Developmental Re-search). Tijdschrift voor Didactiek der bètawetenschappen. 12, (1).    7

DeResA: a DEsign RESearch Approach

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de Vries, Jos Beun en Steven Verwaard

Developmental Research: Fostering a Dialectic Relationship between Theory and Practice. In:

DeResA: a DEsign RESearch Approach

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