Insights from scientific reading research only partially resonate in curricular materials for reading comprehension instruction. Design-based research (DBR) is considered a way to bridge this research-practice gap, as it requires close teacher-researcher collaboration. We report about the collaboration difficulties and mutual benefits of engaging co-designing teachers in a DBR-project.
Insights from scientific reading research only partially resonate in teaching materials for reading comprehension (Dewitz & Jones, 2013). This research-practice gap also leads to problems in Dutch classroom practice (Bogaerds-Hazenberg et al., 2017). One way to bridge the research-practice gap is to have teachers and researchers collaborate in design-based research (DBR), in which teachers and researchers share a responsibility for designing a product and simultaneously gain theoretical insights (Broekkamp et al., 2007). Educational DBR has mutual benefits: for researchers, it provides useful information as design principles are repeatedly tested and re-adjusted within the complex, authentic context of schools (Brown, 1992), while for teachers, DBR fosters professionalization (McKenney et al., 2018). In our DBR study on L1 reading comprehension, four primary school teachers acted as co-designers and created 20 lessons in collaboration with two researchers who introduced them to a set of design principles. The aim of the study was to gain insight into the viability of the design principles, and into the level of support teachers need in order to become effective co-designers. Based on data from lesson artefacts, logbooks, interviews and lesson observations, we found that the road to good curricular products and teacher professionalization is not easy. Various implementation difficulties arose because some design principles needed refinement, or because teachers showed limited pedagogical content knowledge. Therefore, the co-designing teachers needed a high level of support from the researchers, in particular with text selection and revision. Teacher beliefs also interfered with the implementation of the design principles. Although our study raises questions about the feasibility of equal participation of researchers and teachers in a newly set-up DBR project, we also show the potential of DBR, as long as researchers provide adequate support throughout the design process.
