The Dynamics of Design-Knowledge Construction: The Case of a Freshman Architectural-Design Studio in Egypt
Keywords:
Design education; architectural design studio; freshman students; situated learning perspective; design-knowledge constructionAbstract
Reviewing the literature indicates a lack of studies that
explicitly describe the dynamics of design-knowledge construction in
architectural pedagogy. Accordingly, this study attempts to empirically
explore the process of constructing design-knowledge within a freshman
architectural-design studio in the Egyptian context. In the spring 2020
semester, interpretive qualitative research was initially conducted in an
on-campus setting, followed by a period within an online setting, after
the COVID-19 lockdown. A total of 12 students, in addition to four
teaching assistants and the course instructor, were involved in this study.
Multiple data-gathering tactics, such as field observations, semi-structured interviews, and document archives were employed.
Conventional content analysis was adopted, in order to extract the
patterns that describe the design-knowledge construction within the case
under investigation. The study revealed ten themes within three
categories: students’ learning activities, faculty-pedagogical strategies,
and social interactions. This paper discusses one theme from each of these
categories: (1) students’ recourse to self-directed learning, (2) the faculty’s
coaching within the educational setting, and (3) the studio’s socio-communal cohesion. The findings of this study confirmed that the
construction of design-knowledge is an integrally situated process, which
cannot be studied without the presence of all its various components.
Such a study presents a contribution that could inform future pedagogical
initiatives which aim to create stimulating architectural learning
environments in a post-pandemic reality.
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.21.1.10
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