Facilitating design research by mapping design research trajectories

Abstract

Design research is an emerging paradigm in the study of learning. It is far from a mature methodology, as it faces a variety of difficulties, one of which is the characterization of the research process. We mapped the design trajectory proposed by Sandoval to capture the complex process of design research. The design trajectory map develops Sandoval’s conjecture mapping in two ways, with the capacity to capture movement along the trajectory. We apply the proposed mapping to a well-known design study that described the design history of an inquiry-based learning project. The limitations of the proposed mapping approach are discussed.