An inquiry into the learning-style and knowledge-building preferences of interior architecture students
Section snippets
Previous studies related to learning styles in design education
Learning in design is an internal process that is different for each student. A student's preferred method for receiving information in any learning environment is his or her learning style. As evident from the literature, various learning-style models are employed in design education. The most common models are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) (Durling et al., 1996, Russ and Weber, 1995), Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (K-LSI) (Carmel-Gilfilen, 2012, Demirbas and Demirkan, 2003,
Learning and knowledge-building processes in design education
Based on previous studies related to learning styles in design education, this study revised Felder–Soloman's ILS and adapted its usage to determine the learning styles and knowledge-processing acts of interior architecture students. In this study, the four scales of ILS are grouped into two categories: learning styles (knowledge perceiving) and thinking styles (knowledge processing). In this revised model, learning style is displayed by how students perceive information (sensorially or
Interior architecture and environmental design education
The aim of an interior architecture and environmental design program is to graduate qualified and experienced designers who will enhance the function and quality of interior spaces to improve quality of life, increase productivity and protect the public's health, safety and welfare. Design education's main philosophy is to educate students who can synthesize the acquired knowledge and solve design problems from various points of view. Cognizant of the impacts of new technologies and knowledge
Participants
This study was conducted with a sample of 218 students in the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey. The age range was between 18 and 28 years, with a mean of 21.06 years (st. dev. 1.73). The participants comprised 50 males and 168 females in total, with118 first-year (25 males and 93 females) and 100 fourth-year (25 males and 75 females) students. A stratified sampling method was conducted among all students, and they were informed
Learning-style characteristics according to year
Using the ILS, the distribution of the first and fourth year interior architecture students according to the four scales with the relevant mean scores and standard deviations were determined (Table 1). Firstly, it was tested if there was a difference between first- and fourth-year students in the four scales. According to Levene's test for equality of variances, showing the p values for the Active/Reflective scale (p = 0.482), Sensing/Intuitive scale (p = 0.702), Visual/Verbal scale (p = 0.743)
On the distribution of learning scales
This study showed that learning style preference did not differ significantly among the Active/Reflective, Sensing/Intuitive, Visual/Verbal and Sequential/Global scales according to student year of study. However, using the ILS, Mostafa and Mostafa (2010) found that second-year architecture students were more active and reflective than first-year architecture students. The authors concluded that there is shift towards a more active-learning mode as students' progress through university. Since
Implications for interior architecture education
According to the findings, the interior architecture students were balanced on the Active/Reflective and Sensing/Intuitive scales. A moderate to strong preference on the Visual/Verbal scale and a weak preference on the Sequential/Global scale were observed. Felder (1996) noted that since instructional approaches present information in ways that appeal to all types of learning methods, it is important to consider all learning styles in teaching. According to Felder (1993: 289), it is important
Acknowledgment
The author would like to thank to the anonymous reviewers for their constructive feedback and valuable insights in improving the paper.
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