Recently, there has been critiques towards science education research, as the potential of this research has not been actualised in science teaching and learning praxis. The paper describes an analysis of a design-based research approach (DBR) that has been suggested as a solution for the discontinuation between science education research and praxis. We propose that a pragmatic frame helps to clarify well the design-based research endeavour. We abstracted three aspects from the analysis that constitute design-based research: (a) a design process is essentially iterative starting from the recognition of the change of the environment of praxis, (b) it generates a widely usable artefact, (c) and it provides educational knowledge for more intelligible praxis. In the knowledge acquisition process, the pragmatic viewpoint emphasises the role of a teacher’s reflected actions as well as the researches’ involvement in the authentic teaching and learning settings.
Design-Based Research in Science Education: One Step Towards Methodology