Conducting design-based research in an elementary school context : a professional growth experience for both teacher and researcher

Abstract

The island of Malta is a former British colony and, consquently, the English language continues to play an important role in contemporary society in general and in education. Both English and the local language, Maltese, are used in classrooms, and it is common to find that mathematics is taught and learned bilingually. To this end, a bilingual glossary has just been published that aims to support this practice. In this case study, I report on a collaborative research experience, for which I used a design-based research approach. Educational design-based research is an approach that involves developing and implementing teaching interventions, to develop theory about a wider issue. My research interest was to explore how Maltese can be used to support elementary school students’ engagement in mathematics lessons. I planned a series of lessons which were then delivered by the teacher. The lessons were video- and audio-recorded. One hour audio-recorded interviews with the teacher were conducted before, and after, the series of lessons; daily 15-minute discussions about the day’s lesson were also held. In this article, I explain the key characteristics of design-based research; I outline the research plan and how the study panned out; I highlight ethical considerations and offer some practical hints regarding design-based research in classrooms. Finally, I stress the potential of a collaborative project to provide an opportunity for professional development for both teacher and researcher.