Dear Derek,
You have no idea how much I appreciate your raising these concerns and giving suggestions.
There are over 2000 subscribers on the list and over 8000 for the Design Research News. (By the way, congratulations and many thanks to David Durling for his sustained contribution for over 17 years.) So what is happening on the PHD list might not be a representative of Design Research. However, if we scan through the abstracts in the last 5 or even 10 years of the 'top' 20 design journals' http://researchbank.swinburne.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/swin:10413
I think, we can quickly have a picture of design research.
Roughly speaking,
There is much theoretical discussion (although few will critique and synthesize others with one's own).
There are experiments and quasi-experiments (but very few lead to new theories).
There are case studies, and many more case histories or stories (and I fear that many don't understand the difference).
There is relatively few quantitative study that deals with a large amount of data.
Now, I am NOT suggesting quantitative study is better and is always necessary (and I confess that I have never conducted one myself), I am just pointing out a lack of methodological plurality. Is the issue Derek raised a more general and serious problem in Design Research?
Best,
Rosan
-----Original Message-----
From: Derek B. Miller [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Freitag, 3. Februar 2012 21:05
Subject: Concerning research design discussions on the List
...Having observed the list now for about two years (and I defer, of course to Ken, and Norman and the other big guns), I sense a sort of malaise, or boredom, or even distain for when the conversation turns from conversation about a question to the hard, nuts and bolts, no-screwing-around practical steps one needs to actually answer them. ...
The simple fact is, we can't improve, criticize, "take a critical look at" or otherwise move beyond the basics under we understand what they are...
...I would expect someone studying for a Ph.D. - who asks social science questions (and you could ask theological ones, by contrast) - to be MASTERING the fundamentals of research design and well enough to teach them to future Ph.D. candidates at the academy...
...I would really like to see more people posing questions and asking other to help them refine their questions; state their question and ask about techniques for answering them; ...
...I'd love to be a resource for students or other scholars on ANY of those kinds of questions..
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