The Dynamics of Design-Knowledge Construction: The Case of a Freshman Architectural-Design Studio in Egypt

Abstract

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.