This article discusses educational design-based research (DBR) as an emerging paradigm/methodology in educational enquiry that can be used as a mixed-method, problem-oriented research framework, and thus can act as an alternative to other traditional paradigms/methodologies prominent within the Egyptian context of educational enquiry. DBR is often referred to as a long-term research endeavour and perhaps because of this is rarely employed in PhD studies. We therefore propose a version of DBR specifically for PhD studies using as an example of this a recent PhD study conducted at the Graduate School of Education, University of Exeter, UK based on the Egyptian context of Assiut University College of Education. Through a detailed comparison of DBR with some existing paradigms/methodologies, we provide a rationale for using it as a research framework with the two-fold purpose of developing learning theories and improving educational practice. We delineate DBR as an independent methodology by comparing it with other methodologies including experimental design and action research. To make DBR workable for PhD students, a version of DBR is suggested to guide future researchers into how to plan for employing DBR within their educational studies.