On Formative and Design Experiments

by Reinking, David

• ISBN13: 9780807748411
• ISBN10: 0807748412
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-11-15
• Publisher: Teachers College Pr

Summary

Formative and design experiments represent a methodology uniquely suited for educational research in general and literacy research in particular. Providing a practical overview of this emerging and promising approach, the authors address the following questions: What is the origin of formative and design experiments and how do they compare to other approaches to investigating interventions in classrooms? How do you conceptualize, plan, conduct, and report formative and design experiments? What practical, ethical, and methodological issues might be encountered when using this approach? What is the current status and future potential of this approach?

Author Biography

David Reinking is the Eugene T. Moore Professor of Teacher Education in the Eugene T. Moore School of Education at Clemson University Barbara A. Bradley is an Assistant Professor of Reading Education in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at the University of Kansas

Table of Contents

From the NCRLL Editors	p. vii
Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
What Are Formative and Design Experiments?	p. 5
How do formative and design experiments fit into the methodological landscape and where did they come from?	p. 13
What terms have been used to describe this approach to research?	p. 13
What are the defining characteristics of formative and design experiments?	p. 16
How do formative and design experiments compare with other approaches to investigating interventions in classrooms?	p. 22
What is the origin of formative and design experiments?	p. 28
Why are formative and design experiments needed and useful?	p. 33
What kind of knowledge do formative and design experiments lay claim to creating and on what basis is that claim made?	p. 35
Can the results of formative and design experiments be generalized?	p. 39
What Are the Methods of Formative and Design Experiments?	p. 43
What types of data are collected?	p. 45
What are the goals of data collection?	p. 48
What are standards for determining methodological rigor?	p. 53
What methodological frameworks might be used to conceptualize, plan, conduct, and report formative and design experiments?	p. 61
Foundational frameworks	p. 62
Explicit frameworks	p. 65
What practical, ethical, and methodological issues have we encountered in using this approach?	p. 78
What stance should a researcher take in classrooms and working with teachers?	p. 78
How do researchers find and set up an appropriate site for research?	p. 82
Can a researcher also be the teacher in a formative or design experiment?	p. 85
When should the intervention phase end?	p. 86
How do the results of a formative or design experiment complement other approaches to research?	p. 87
How do researchers deal with troubling information?	p. 87
What Are Some Good Examples of Formative and Design Experiments?	p. 89
Why is it difficult to find and to select good examples?	p. 89
What studies illustrate the diversity of this approach?	p. 91
How have instructional interventions been defined and implemented?	p. 100
Is There a Formative or Design Experiment in Your Future?	p. 107
What is the current status and future potential of this approach?	p. 107
What challenges and obstacles constrain the future of this approach?	p. 110
What are the key advantages arguing for continued and expanded use?	p. 113
Who should consider conducting a formative or design experiment?	p. 115
What do we think about formative and design experiments after writing this book?	p. 117
References	p. 121
Index	p. 128
About the Authors	p. 134
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