Where what’s in common mediates disciplinary diversity in design students: A shared pathway of intellectual development

The purpose of this study was to explore intellectual development using the Perry scheme (1968). The authors present findings from a study involving 139 sophomore, junior, and senior architecture and interior design students who were empirically assessed on global and discipline-specific thought development using the Measure of Intellectual Development and the Measure of Designing. Supporting previous research, students were found in the positions of dualism and multiplicity with global thought development proving more advanced than design thinking. Regardless of disciplinary focus, students approached design process, production, and assessment similarly as evidenced in the qualitative data.

► Explored intellectual development of architecture and interior design students.
► Empirically assessed global and discipline-specific thought development.
► Students found in the positions of dualism and multiplicity.
► Global thought development proved more advanced that design thinking.
► Architecture and interior design students appear similar in thought development.