UNDERSTANDING STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN FRESHMAN INTERIOR DESIGN STUDENTS: A DESCRIPTIVE CASE STUDY

Abstract

Freshman interior design students at a large, urban, Midwest university are required to enroll in a design studio course during their first semester. The design studio is the primary pedagogy in design education utilized to teach students how to communicate graphically, verbally and through their writings (Schön, 1987; Shaffer, 2003). While effective communication in each of these domain competencies is expected, the focus of the design studio is often on design principles, with minimal instruction provided on communication skills development (Morton & O’Brien, 2005; Hynes & Kwon, 2018). This descriptive case study aimed to better understand students’ self-perceptions of communication skills within a single section of a semester-long freshman interior design studio course. The students’ communication skills were analyzed through the following data sources: one written reflection narrative assigned at the beginning of the semester, which prompted students to self-assess their perceptions of their communication skills across the three domain competencies (graphic, verbal and written); and a digital story, in which students reflected on their perceptions of communication skills development throughout the semester. This study analyzed the students’ self-perceptions of their communication skills throughout one semester, with an emphasis on three domain competencies: graphic, verbal and written communication skills.