A Design-Based Research Approach to Bridge Teacher Aspirations and Goal-Setting

ICTD research has often faced challenges in transferring findings across different projects or general HCI due to its specificity to local communities. Theory-driven research, such as aspirations, can bridge work across communities. However, designing technology for emerging theories like aspirations is inherently complex. This study employs a Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology to explore designing digital tools for teacher aspirations in rural Côte d’Ivoire. First, we interviewed teachers and found the important role of digital literacy in their aspirations. Then, we conducted four focus groups with 16 teachers to understand their weekly planning practices and challenges. We found that teachers rely on collaboration to help set goals and classroom activities, but this collaboration was inconsistent and often inaccessible. Based on this context, we designed a prototype in Google Forms to scaffold planning for teachers and evaluated it through four additional teacher focus groups. Completing a DBR iterative cycle, we reflect on design principles to further develop similar technological supports for teachers in low-infrastructure contexts. The study contributes by demonstrating the value of DBR in designing for teacher aspirations and highlighting the importance of digital literacy, collaboration, and goal-setting in achieving teacher aspirations.