ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the need for a critical epistemological approach to design-based research (DBR) in social studies that attends to the issues of equity and power. Socially transformative design projects, in contrast to more traditional forms of DBR, are “organized around a commitment to transforming the educational and social circumstances of members of non-dominant communities as a means of promoting social equity and learning”. The purpose of socially transformative design projects can be directly linked to the purpose of social studies education: helping students to better understand themselves and the society around them so that they can be active civic participants who can write their own story into history. Providing access to transformative learning opportunities that result in sociopolitical development, and “historicity” is a central aim of civic education. A consideration of context that goes beyond a depiction of classrooms and schools as interchangeable is fundamental to socially transformative design.
