The document discusses Design-Based Research (DBR) as an emerging methodology for studying learning through the design and evaluation of instructional tools and strategies in real-world contexts. DBR is characterized by iterative design, collaboration, flexibility, and mixed methods evaluations. The RE-ACT project applied DBR to study community media centers (CMCs) in Mozambique by examining social representations of the centers, co-designing improvement actions with local stakeholders, and conducting formative evaluations of the actions based on social representations. The project aims to better understand how design-based activities can translate to impactful local development and facilitate community members' role in leading their own improvement actions.

1. Par ti cipato r y re -acti on:
ref l ectin g on a D esi gn - Based
Research a pp roach in I CT4D
Izak van Zyl, Sara Vannini
NewMinE Lab – Università della Svizzera italiana
November 2013

2. Design-Based Research

3. Design-Based Research
…is an emerging paradigm for the study of learning
in context through the systematic design and study
of instructional strategies and tools…
(DBR Collaborative, 2003)

4. Design-Based Research
DBR can help create and extend knowledge about
developing, enacting, and sustaining innovative
learning environments.
(DBR Collaborative, 2003)

5. Design-Based Research
deals with real-world settings
focuses on collaboration and participation
is characterised by iteration and flexibility
formative evaluations performed after each cycle
mixed methods

6. Design-Based Research
deals with real-world settings
focuses on collaboration and participation
is characterised by iteration and flexibility
formative evaluations performed after each cycle
mixed methods

7. Design-Based Research
deals with real-world settings
focuses on collaboration and participation
is characterised by iteration and flexibility
formative evaluations performed after each cycle
mixed methods

8. Design-Based Research
deals with real-world settings
focuses on collaboration and participation
is characterised by iteration and flexibility
formative evaluations performed after each cycle
mixed methods

9. Design-Based Research
deals with real-world settings
focuses on collaboration and participation
is characterised by iteration and flexibility
formative evaluations performed after each cycle
mixed methods

10. ICT4D community
has gradually recognised
design-based and
contextualised approaches
Postcolonial computing
Situated computing

11. ICT4D community
has gradually recognised
design-based and
contextualised approaches
Postcolonial computing
Situated computing
DBR has not found a
concrete
methodological position

12. social REpresentations of
community multimedia centres
and ACTions for improvement

13. UNESCO, 2000

14. RE-ACT
CMCs in Mozambique (2011)

17. Research Questions
Meaning: Social Representations Theory

18. Research Questions
Meaning: Social Representations Theory
Agency: (How) can local community members
participate in improving CMCs?

19. Research Questions
Meaning: Social Representations Theory
Agency: (How) can local community members
participate in improving CMCs?
Development methodology:
How can we harness these factors
(meaning & agency) for local development actions?

20. RE-ACT
Social Representations
Actions for Improvement

21. RE-ACT
Social Representations
Actions for Improvement
(Moscovici, 1961)

22. Initiating Agencies #2
Staff #57
Community
-Users
-(RC+TC) #95
-(RC) #72
-Non-Users #8

23. 309 pictures, 103 interviewees (Staff members & CMC
-Users)

24. 328 questionnaires (Radio Users)

25. Social Representations
Community Radios
socio-political role
(edutainment) characteristics
information and knowledge for development
Telecentres
computer training venue
Everyday computing needs: making photocopies, typing
hand-written documents, etc.
– General infrastructure and physical appearance

26. Social Representations
Community Radios
socio-political role
(edutainment) characteristics
Information and knowledge for development
Telecentres
computer training venue
everyday computing needs

27. Social Representations
Community Radios
socio-political role
(edutainment) characteristics
general infrastructure and physical appearance of the CMC

30. Social Representations
bureaucratic
administrative issues,
political benefits of
community radios,
financial sustainability
Focus on community
radios: working experience,
personal satisfaction,
prestige, giving “voice to
the voiceless”.
Focus on telecentres:
learning places, access to
ICTs (including photocopy
machines and printers

31. RE-ACT
Social Representations
Actions for Improvement

36. Improvement Actions
Education: computer literacy, maintenance training &
capacity building, technical support hub
Tourism:
online platform, radio program
Entertainment: community cinema
Information: community-based information platform rebroadcast via digital technology

37. Improvement Actions
Education: computer literacy, maintenance training &
capacity building, technical support hub
Tourism:
online platform, radio program
Entertainment: community cinema
Information: community-based information platform rebroadcast via digital technology

41. Co-Design with staff
members: define
improvement actions
Co-Design with
coordinators: formulate
improvement actions
Implement improvement
actions
Formative evaluation
Social Representations
Study: include local voices

42. Mixed methods
real-world contexts
flexibility
iterative collaborations
education/capacity-building

43. Concluding thoughts
risk that ICT4D developers pay lip
participation
service to
unclear to what extent design-based activities
translate into impactful development
How do locals become facilitators of their own
actions?

44. Concluding thoughts
risk that ICT4D developers pay lip
participation
service to
unclear to what extent design-based activities
translate into impactful development
How do locals become facilitators of their own
actions?

45. Concluding thoughts
risk that ICT4D developers pay lip
participation
service to
unclear to what extent design-based activities
translate into impactful development
How do locals become facilitators of their own
actions?

46. Concluding thoughts
As an amalgamation of ‘meaning and design’, DBR:
espouses the foundations of social constructivism
places design emphasis on flow of micro social
representation
hope to extend the methodology beyond superficial
implementations

47. Concluding thoughts
As an amalgamation of ‘meaning and design’, DBR:
espouses the foundations of social constructivism
places design emphasis on flow of micro social
representation
hope to extend the methodology beyond superficial
implementations

48. Concluding thoughts
As an amalgamation of ‘meaning and design’, DBR:
espouses the foundations of social constructivism
places design emphasis on flow of micro social
representation
hopes to extend the methodology beyond superficial
implementations

49. Thank You!
vanzyli@usi.ch - sara.vannini@usi.ch
www.newmine.org