Adopting Design-Based Research to Conduct a Doctoral Study as a Micro-Cycle of Design – A Practice Illustration

In this practice illustration, I elaborate on the methodological aspect of my doctoral research, developing a multilayered participatory approach to explore learning spaces drawing on Design-Based Research (DBR). Reflecting on my work, I explain “why” and “how” I adopted DBR in my doctoral research in Education. I argue that DBR is feasible to conduct doctoral research as a micro-cycle of design to develop design methodology and/or domain theory. I provide a rationale for choosing DBR as an underpinning methodology through which I designed the study and selected the data collection and analysis methods. I also describe how DBR was interrelated with the tenets of my study and the research questions. Providing an explanation of the relationship between DBR and participatory design, I explain how design methodology was developed in the context of my study. At the end, I briefly outline the findings and the contextual design principles that emerged from the findings.