Developing design mindset: how individual and contextual factors influence the development of design mindset through method teaching

Abstract

Method Teaching is an essential approach for training novice designers to think and act like designers. Methods are commonly used in design education, yet with varying outcomes and experiences for students. There is a need to better understand how individual and contextual factors influence the effectiveness of Method Teaching. In this quasi-experimental pre-post-intervention study, we investigate how group composition, motivation, Design Mindset (D-Mindset0.1), Self-efficacy (GSES), Ambiguity tolerance (TAS), and Sensation-seeking (BSSS) influence students’ learning through Method Teaching. Our results show that Method Teaching increases Design Mindset scores and that the effectiveness of Method Teaching is influenced significantly by the three personality traits and the level of prior Design Mindset.