Prework

Creating Shared Problem Statements

Reconciling the power relations among stakeholders is one of the most important factors in ensuring the success of codesign in education research.

Stakeholders join an education research project from various teams, with varying intra- and inter-group dynamics. The Codesign process is used to distribute power among the different stakeholders (researchers, school communities, and edtech developers) in the research process. However, for a research project to have a systemic influence beyond the study, it’s important to account for the power structures that educators or edtech developers will encounter when using the results of the study to advocate for change.

For example, an educator that is part of the study may use the results to advocate for system-wide adoption of an edtech product and, conversely, the director of research at the edtech company may use the study results to advocate for changes to the product roadmap.

The following power-mapping process is used to:

1. Ensure that everyone in the research project has a voice in it’s design and

2. Ensure that those people are given tools to advocate for change after the study is complete.

Documenting power relations within the beneficiary group: Why it is important

The concept of “making power visible” is a crucial one in the codesign process. Power dynamics and structures permeate all relationships, including those within the systems that the researchers hope to impact (such as schools or educational institutions).

As such, it’s important to:

1. acknowledge and understand these structures and dynamics, and

2. leverage or disrupt them at the appropriate time so that the right people can execute specific tasks to effect change.

3. Include stakeholders with differing levels of power within the school or company in the research study.

The power chart: Organizing power dynamics visually

Codesign aims to include all relevant stakeholders in the design process for any project, especially school communities impacted by the research.

To make the power mapping process much easier, we have created the following downloadable power mapping template, which you can fill out to better understand the power dynamics within a school community.

Click below to download the template.

1. Write the “pain point” the group selected at the top of the “Power Analysis” poster. 

2. Diagram the school community (use the School System example on p. 1 if needed). Who and what makes up the community? List all the people and specific things you see in your school community inside the circle (admin, teachers, students, curricula, standardized tests, etc). 

3. Which elements of the community contribute to the “pain point”? Look at the list and highlight or circle the different entities that influence and/or increase the issue.

4. Systems are complex and contain many interconnections. This complexity means that there are also many starting points (openings) to solve a systemic issue like the “pain point” already identified. Where are the cracks (openings) to begin the work of redesigning the system or creating something new? 

   • Identify the larger systems at play that have a direct influence on the community and place them on the arrowed lines around the circle (Community System example on p. 2). 

   • What is the relationship between those elements within our community and the larger systems at play? List those relationships below the diagram to refer back to later. 

   • Now that the systems have been identified, what is the relationship between those systems? How do they affect each other? Indicate this on the diagram by drawing an arrow connecting the systems. 

5. Complete the following Power Chart to identify who the codesign research process will impact and who holds power within the school system to create change. The activity will help participants identify who has the power to impact their work. 

Dive Deeper

Engage Toolkit

The Engage Toolkit is a way for different stakeholders to establish trust and make clear commitments.