An educational tool to encourage higher level thinking skills in the selection of images for fashion design mood boards: an action research approach. Issue 1 (2nd January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: de Wet, A. J. C.
• Is Part Of: International journal of fashion design, technology and education. Volume 10:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 16
• Page End: 25
• Publication Date: 2017-01-02
• Subjects: Fashion design education -- higher level thinking skills -- visual literacy and critical analysis -- image selection -- mood boards; Fashion design -- Periodicals; Clothing trade -- Periodicals; 746.92
• DOI: 10.1080/17543266.2016.1173236
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1754-3266

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The primary argument of this paper arises from the need identified in fashion design education within a South African context for a shift in the focus of theoretical curricula content to convert from a diploma to a degree structure. This paper addresses this concern and reports on the baseline assessment of a devised and implemented tool to advance visual literacy thinking skills of undergraduate fashion design students, applied to the selection of images for mood boards. The inquiry adopted an action research design and obtained data from systematically documented reflective notes, completed student image analysis help sheets and a comparison of assessment results of mood boards created before and after the application of the tool. While assessment results indicate an improvement in the level of thinking skills of some students, surface learning was identified as an underlying challenge to address for refinement of the tool. Improved results, nevertheless, suggest that the strategic principles facilitated through the tool and the subsequent recommendations for refinement present a potential framework to underpin the visual conceptual design challenges of students for consideration in a degree structure.