Designerly Skills: An Educational Design Research Study on K-5 Teacher-Designers n Trauma-Informed Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments

This study explored how K-5 teachers exhibit designerly skills when creating trauma-informed, technology-enhanced learning environments. While teachers have long been recognized as designers, asset-based research on their specific designerly skills, particularly in trauma-informed digital spaces, remains limited. Using an educational design research (EDR) approach focused on research-for-interventions, this study examined which skills teachers consider essential and how these skills manifest in course designs supporting student belonging. The study employed a multi-method qualitative approach over 12 months, following 23 K-5 teachers and administrators engaged in designing Canvas courses. Data collection included reflective discussion boards, design studio sessions, individual think-aloud protocols, and analysis of course artifacts. The research centered on analyzing how three types of reflection-reflection- in-action, reflection-on-action, and reflection-for-action- allowed teacher-designers to express designerly skills. Results identified six key designerly skills: forecasting, tolerating uncertainty, setting design constraints, iterating, relying on precedent, and self-actualizing. While forecasting dominated reflective discussions, it typically operated as a secondary skill during reflection in active design. Analysis of course artifacts revealed a gap between teachers' trauma-informed design intentions and implementation, with courses averaging 8.3 out of 24 points on a trauma-informed elements rubric. The findings highlight the complex relationship between designerly skills and trauma-informed design implementation. The emergence of self-actualization as a distinct skill and teachers' ability to productively engage with uncertainty through micro-moments of reflection contribute new insights to design literature. This study informs future EDR cycles and suggests approaches for supporting teachers in translating trauma-informed design intentions into practice.