Design-based Research

Design-based research (DBR) is an iterative, interventionist methodology that simultaneously designs educational interventions and builds theory about how and why those interventions work in authentic, complex settings. Originating in Ann Brown's 1992 classroom experiments and Allan Collins's parallel work, DBR treats the learning environment as both the object of study and the site of theory generation, cycling through design, enactment, analysis, and redesign until both practical improvement and theoretical insight are achieved.