Participatory design as a discrete approach to engaging practitioners in research design¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 design), q1 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

Participatory design is presented as a relatively discrete way to work with practitioners, promoting "iterative construction of emerging designs" and generating results co-interpreted by researchers and the participants who will use the design. The report describes it as "explore, approximate, then refine" (citing Spinuzzi, 2005), drawing on ethnographic observations, interviews, and artifact analysis. Because of its focus on empowerment, the report says it is strongly committed to addressing problems of practice centering equity from a practitioner's perspective.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Participants share their lived experiences and context so researchers can learn from them and accommodate user variability

Constraints¶

• Described as a relatively discrete way to work with practitioners, less comprehensive than RPP or RPIP partnership models

Target Learners¶

• K-12 educators and practitioners involved in designing educational tools and research

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Designing robust and accessible social systems that address problems of practice with equity

Claims¶

• Research questions are rarely conceived in partnership with practitioners, which undermines research impact on educational decision making [+W]

Related Theories¶

• Research-Practice-Industry Partnerships (RPIPs) integrating problems of practice, learning sciences, and edtech development
• Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR) as an approach for co-developing differentiated instruction practice
• Research Practice Partnerships (RPPs) as long-term partnerships focused on problems of practice
• Research alliance model of practitioner-researcher engagement
• Research-practice partnership model for improving problems of educational practice
• Research-Practice-Industry Partnership (RPIP) model

Examples¶

• Run conversational office hours in which practitioners and researchers co-design research questions with platform representatives
• Fund collaborative participatory teams and broaden dissemination to bridge edtech design and research for MLLs
• Engage teachers, families, and designers in participatory, iterative co-design of CT learning activities rather than adopting packaged solutions

Key Sources¶

• Pautz Stephenson, S., Banks, R., & Pakhira D. (2022, December). Practitioners at the center: Catalyzing research on problems of practice in realistic settings. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/164