Measurement of Self-Efficacy, Predisposition for Collaboration, and Project Scores in Architectural Design Studios
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Date
2016-08-29
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Abstract
The design of high-performance, sustainable, built environments in architectural
practice is becoming more collaborative, and the demands on architectural education to
provide measurable learning outcomes that more successfully prepare students to
contribute in a practice setting are increasing. Since educational experts assert that self-efficacy
is a key attribute of successful students and architectural education relies
heavily upon project-based learning in design studios, it is a reasonable expectation that
the character and quality of architectural design studio courses may affect the
development of Design Self-Efficacy. This research has developed instruments by which
instructional methods, self-efficacy, and student projects may be measured and scored,
enabling reliable and valid investigation of the relationships among these factors.
This dissertation has three primary foci: (1) developing an instrument to measure
student Design Self-Efficacy and predisposition to collaboration in design studios; (2)
developing a framework for better understanding how studio type and project type
impact Design Self-Efficacy, and (3) developing an instrument employing an assessment
rubric to measure student learning outcomes through end results of a Project Score.
Data was collected from Texas A&M University, the University of Kentucky,
and the University of Kansas via content analysis of studio syllabi; focus groups and
interviews with faculty; electronic surveys of students enrolled in architectural design
studios; and the assessment of projects using a validated rubric. This research included
the development and calibration of measurement instruments to determine if correlation exists between Design Self-Efficacy (DSE), disposition for collaboration (PD), studio-type
(ST), project-type (PT), and project score (PS).
Research revealed that PD is sensitive to different students and different
moments in time. The DSE instrument produced results that aligned to self-efficacy
theory and data analysis revealed increased self-efficacy from undergraduate through
graduate studies, and theoretical groupings that parallel the processes of design studio
problem solving, project development, iteration, evaluation, and communication. The PS
data analysis revealed gaps in architectural design studio evaluations that can be
addressed with an assessment rubric.
The results of this dissertation serve as a foundation for a future research agenda
to improve design education, inform the accreditation process of professional
architecture programs in North America and by extension, impact the practice of
architecture.
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Keywords
Self-efficacy, Design Self-efficacy, Architectural Design Studio, Collaboration, Studio Type, Project Type, Project Scoring