Design Based Research Re-imagined: A CHAT Formative Intervention for Expansive Learning in a Graduate Level Reading Group

We write the following case on the design of our graduate student reading group that was formed as a result of our desire to build the necessary foundation for applying CHAT literature and learning theories in our work. The Cultural Historical Activity Theory reading group (“CHATchat”) was specifically created and designed with the intention of providing a common language and set of shared constructs which members could use as a jumping board for pursuing individual research interests. The design-based research (DBR) case described here argues that the nature of the reading group became design-focused and iterative in practice. As such, the reflective process of the design of the learning environment was internalized to the object of the activity system. Therefore, the design moved from a top-down designed intervention following a set of linear steps (Edelson, 2002) towards a formative intervention, leading to expansive learning (Engestrom, 2011). Through our enactment, we found: (1) designing learning environments is not a linear process, and (2) design decisions are not always articulated and explicitly thought of a priori, especially when the nature of the activity is itself a design process. Accordingly, this case will provide insights into how a co-designed learning environment naturally developed from participants’ learning goals.