Challenges and opportunities of design-based research in applied linguistics: Insights from a scoping review

Abstract

Design-based research (DBR) is an interventionist method where educators, through multiple iterations, refine pedagogy with the guidance of theory. While the method has seen success in the field of education more generally, its use in the realm of language education and applied linguistics is evidently less common. In light of this observation, this article aims to understand how DBR has been deployed as a methodological approach in applied linguistics. To achieve this, 45 studies in language education were identified and analysed in the form of a scoping review. An overview of the DBR-related methodological features of the included studies is provided, including the research aims, iteration operations, research settings, the context of the intervention design, and evaluation of iterations. With such an overview, the opportunities and challenges of DBR in language classrooms are discussed. Strategies, where appropriate, are also outlined for future researchers who wish to utilise the opportunities to their maximum and address challenges in future DBR studies.