Design and Development Research

Book excerpt: AECT Design & Development Outstanding Book Award for 2008! Design and Development Research thoroughly discusses methods and strategies appropriate for conducting design and development research. Rich with examples and explanations, the book describes actual strategies that researchers have used to conduct two major types of design and development research: 1) product and tool research and 2) model research. Common challenges confronted by researchers in the field when planning and conducting a study are explored and procedural explanations are supported by a wide variety of examples taken from current literature. Samples of actual research tools are also presented. Important features in this volume include: concise checklists at the end of each chapter to give a clear summary of the steps involved in the various phases of a project; an examination of the critical types of information and data often gathered in studies, and unique procedures for collecting these data; examples of data collection instruments, as well as the use of technology in data collection; and a discussion of the process of extracting meaning from data and interpreting product and tool and model research findings. Design and Development Research is appropriate for both experienced researchers and those preparing to become researchers. It is intended for scholars interested in planning and conducting design and development research, and is intended to stimulate future thinking about methods, strategies, and issues related to the field.