From Either/or to and/Both: A Dialogical Reframing of The Research We Need

Abstract Debate over the research we need has recently increased in the field of educational technology. This debate typically presents the research we need as a way of improving outcomes in our field, whereas the research we don’t need will only continue to limit us or do harm in some manner. This paper explores a dialogical reframing of the conversation around the research we need/don’t need . After an overview of the research we need in the field , we present the Instructional Design Triangle (IDT) as a framework for conceptualizing research on educational technology phenomena. This framework allows multiple forms of research to be present and in conversation with one another simultaneously, moving away from treating the research we need/don’t need as an either/or towards an and/both. The IDT is further illustrated through examples in the field and implications for research are discussed.