Theme of the book

Because of the highly ambitious and complex nature of many curriculum innovations, these efforts would profit from an iterative or cyclic approach, with integrated research activities to feed the design and development process and to work towards a ‘successive approximation’ of good quality curriculum interventions. These characteristics are typical for a design-based research approach, or in short design research approach (cf. Plomp & Nieveen, 2009; McKenney & Reeves, 2012; Nieveen, 2009; Van den Akker, Gravemeijer, McKenney, Nieveen, 2006).

The design research approach in the curriculum field focuses on how research can enhance the quality of curriculum design and development. Next to high quality curricular interventions, design research also results in design principles (or design heuristics) that provide insight in the key characteristics of the intervention, its working mechanisms and the processes to realize these kinds of interventions. Moreover, by connecting research with curriculum policies and practices, it simultaneously strives for improving the relevance of educational research.

Contents of the book

In 2009, a book ‘Introduction to educational design research’ has been published (with reprint in 2010). The pdf of this book can be freely obtained from the website of the SLO (www.slo.nl). In 2013, a new edition of this book will become available comprising of two parts. Part A will be an update of the 2009 book, whilst part B - titled 'Educational Design Research: Illustrative Cases' - includes a set of 50 carefully edited case studies of successful studies that applied an educational design research approach. The case chapters are meant as examples from which graduate students and novice researchers should be able to learn how to design and conduct research projects utilizing an educational design research approach. The book contains inspiring contributions from all over the world based on design research studies in the domains of Curriculum, Learning and instruction, Subject-related pedagogy/teaching methods, ICT in education, Learning in the workplace and others.

This session

In this session the new book will be launched by the editors Tjeerd Plomp and Nienke Nieveen. They will introduce the book and its realization process, will discuss main issues based on a cross-case analysis and will show the interactive way interested readers will be able to get hold on the chapters they are interested in. Jan van den Akker will serve as chair and discussant.

Full reference to the book (Part A and B) – free available at www.slo.nl

Plomp, T. & Nieveen, N. (Eds) (2013). Educational Design Research: Introduction and Illustrative Cases. Enschede, The Netherlands: SLO, Netherlands Institute for Curriculum Development.

.