A Statistical Analysis of the Effect of Collaborative Projects on Critical Thinking Skills among Architecture Students

Abstract

This research paper proposes the effect of collaborative projects on acquisition of critical thinking skills by architecture students in the form of a quantitative, cause and effect research design. Against this background, collaborative learning has been strongly encouraged in the face of the growing interest in problem-solving, creativity, and reflective thinking in architectural education. Nonetheless, there is not much empirical data on its effectiveness in terms of its measurement in architecture programs. A pre-test/ post-test control group study was conducted to fill this gap to access 120 undergraduate architecture students in three South Asian universities. Experimental group engaged in team-based design projects which were organized and the control group had projects of the same nature but were done individually. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal was used to evaluate the abilities of critical thinking at the beginning and the end of the semester. Findings revealed that students who participated in team learning were much improved in terms of their critical thinking scores than those who learned on their own (p < 0.01). The results indicate that collaborative project-based learning is not just effective in improving design competence, but also in the development of very crucial cognitive skills that are important in future architectural practice. The research indicates the importance of the introduction of collaborative pedagogies in the architectural school curricula and offers evidence-supported suggestions to curriculum developers, educators, and academic policy makers.