Reconstructing Context: Negotiating the Tension Between Exogenous and Endogenous Educational Design

Abstract

In this article, I argue that when design and intervention are central to the research process, context as a construct is problematized. How we define context can facilitate or impede our ability to construct rich and veridical accounts of learning. A design stance may predispose us to less profitable notions of context. I present the advantages of design-based research for understanding how to enact novel forms of learning and for understanding the means through which this learning occurs. I discuss the characteristics of a design focus that threaten the efficacy of the research and illustrate this with a case example. I conclude with implications for challenging, but more amenable, ways of conceptualizing context.