A systematic review of educational design research in Finnish doctoral dissertations on mathematics, science, and technology education

Abstract

Since educational design research (EDR) was introduced to educational research at the beginning of the 1990s, it has gained recognition as a promising research approach that bridges the gap between research and practice in education. This paper aims to investigate how EDR has been utilised and developed and which challenges it has faced by systematically reviewing 21 Finnish EDR doctoral dissertations on mathematics, science, and technology education published between January 2000 and October 2018. The findings indicate that all dissertations yielded practical and theoretical contributions. Moreover, common EDR characteristics, including the use of educational problems in practice as a point of departure, research in real-world settings, evolution through an iterative process, development of practical interventions, and refinement of theoretical knowledge, were found in all dissertations. Most of the doctoral researchers were confronted with challenges, such as high demand for EDR with limited resources and difficulties associated with multidisciplinary teamwork. However, the dissertations were diverse in terms of research contexts, practical educational problems, research outcomes, research methodologies, scale, and collaboration. This systematic review not only enhances the understanding of the utilisation, development, and challenges of EDR but also provides implications for future EDR.