A review of research methods in children's technology design

Research methods have been objects of discussions for decades and defining research methods is still a quite considerable challenge. However, it is important to understand research methods in different disciplines as it informs us on future directions and influences on the discipline.We conduct a survey of research methods in paper publications. 105 papers on children's technology design are classified on a two-dimensional matrix on research method and purpose. Our results show a strong focus on engineering of products as applied research and on evaluation of developed products in the field or in the lab. Also, we find that much research is conducted in natural setting environments with strong focus on field studies.