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Teaching-learning interactions in the design tutorial through the perspectives of semiotics and symbolic interactionism: A case study in advertising and communication design

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@phdthesis{0b7bf110f92b4ed7bd481ba215b7efc9,
title = "Teaching-learning interactions in the design tutorial through the perspectives of semiotics and symbolic interactionism: A case study in advertising and communication design",
abstract = "The design tutorial is an essential and labour-intensive pedagogy in projectbased design education, yet underexplored and often subsumed under design crits. Pertinent studies, building on Sch{\"o}n{\textquoteright}s theory of educating reflectivepractitioners, revealed limited understandings on recurring themes likedialogicality, ambiguity and visuality in design practices. They missed the coremeaning-making nature of design thinking—to develop a design is to developand grapple with meanings. This thesis aims to address these gaps through a novel theoretical frameworkbridging Peircean semiotics and symbolic interactionism. This qualitativecase study of design tutorials at a higher education institution exploredtutorial interactions in advertising and communication design programmes tounderstand the complexity of persuasive-sign construction. Six types of data,including tutorial recordings, interviews and visual metaphors, were analysedfor characterising teaching-learning interactions and comparing perceptions oftutors{\textquoteright} and students{\textquoteright} tutorial experiences. Design thinking is reconceptionised as a dialogue with signs from differentperspectives and modalities. Tutorial interaction is design co-thinking beyondmerely verbal exchange. Sign construction is fuelled by sign interpretation.Design ideas are negotiated through the interplay of sign-student, tutor-studentand sign-tutor/designer interactions, all being teaching-learning interactions.Tutors mediate between signs and students, exercising sign-tutor/designerinteraction to enliven and sustain sign-student interaction. Design co-thinking for persuasive-sign construction, mediated by multimodalsigns, is characterised as audience-centric, experience-connected and clich{\'e}aware, thus relational, intertextual and integrative, in line with the basic tenetsof edusemiotics. Critical abilities entail taking others{\textquoteright} perspectives, referencing daily experiences and integrating the practical and imaginative sides of design thinking. Iconicity in design co-thinking bridges identity transformation from learnersto designers. As a theoretical contribution, symbolic interactionism wasexpanded to reflect the complementary nature of verbal and non-verbal signsin communication and knowledge construction. Recommendations are provided for enhancing learning in design educationand fostering imaginative thinking in non-design disciplines in higher education.",
author = "Sun, {Nim Yan}",
year = "2020",
doi = "10.17635/lancaster/thesis/1172",
language = "English",
publisher = "Lancaster University",
school = "Lancaster University",

}

RIS

TY - BOOK

T1 - Teaching-learning interactions in the design tutorial through the perspectives of semiotics and symbolic interactionism

T2 - A case study in advertising and communication design

AU - Sun, Nim Yan

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - The design tutorial is an essential and labour-intensive pedagogy in projectbased design education, yet underexplored and often subsumed under design crits. Pertinent studies, building on Schön’s theory of educating reflectivepractitioners, revealed limited understandings on recurring themes likedialogicality, ambiguity and visuality in design practices. They missed the coremeaning-making nature of design thinking—to develop a design is to developand grapple with meanings. This thesis aims to address these gaps through a novel theoretical frameworkbridging Peircean semiotics and symbolic interactionism. This qualitativecase study of design tutorials at a higher education institution exploredtutorial interactions in advertising and communication design programmes tounderstand the complexity of persuasive-sign construction. Six types of data,including tutorial recordings, interviews and visual metaphors, were analysedfor characterising teaching-learning interactions and comparing perceptions oftutors’ and students’ tutorial experiences. Design thinking is reconceptionised as a dialogue with signs from differentperspectives and modalities. Tutorial interaction is design co-thinking beyondmerely verbal exchange. Sign construction is fuelled by sign interpretation.Design ideas are negotiated through the interplay of sign-student, tutor-studentand sign-tutor/designer interactions, all being teaching-learning interactions.Tutors mediate between signs and students, exercising sign-tutor/designerinteraction to enliven and sustain sign-student interaction. Design co-thinking for persuasive-sign construction, mediated by multimodalsigns, is characterised as audience-centric, experience-connected and clichéaware, thus relational, intertextual and integrative, in line with the basic tenetsof edusemiotics. Critical abilities entail taking others’ perspectives, referencing daily experiences and integrating the practical and imaginative sides of design thinking. Iconicity in design co-thinking bridges identity transformation from learnersto designers. As a theoretical contribution, symbolic interactionism wasexpanded to reflect the complementary nature of verbal and non-verbal signsin communication and knowledge construction. Recommendations are provided for enhancing learning in design educationand fostering imaginative thinking in non-design disciplines in higher education.

AB - The design tutorial is an essential and labour-intensive pedagogy in projectbased design education, yet underexplored and often subsumed under design crits. Pertinent studies, building on Schön’s theory of educating reflectivepractitioners, revealed limited understandings on recurring themes likedialogicality, ambiguity and visuality in design practices. They missed the coremeaning-making nature of design thinking—to develop a design is to developand grapple with meanings. This thesis aims to address these gaps through a novel theoretical frameworkbridging Peircean semiotics and symbolic interactionism. This qualitativecase study of design tutorials at a higher education institution exploredtutorial interactions in advertising and communication design programmes tounderstand the complexity of persuasive-sign construction. Six types of data,including tutorial recordings, interviews and visual metaphors, were analysedfor characterising teaching-learning interactions and comparing perceptions oftutors’ and students’ tutorial experiences. Design thinking is reconceptionised as a dialogue with signs from differentperspectives and modalities. Tutorial interaction is design co-thinking beyondmerely verbal exchange. Sign construction is fuelled by sign interpretation.Design ideas are negotiated through the interplay of sign-student, tutor-studentand sign-tutor/designer interactions, all being teaching-learning interactions.Tutors mediate between signs and students, exercising sign-tutor/designerinteraction to enliven and sustain sign-student interaction. Design co-thinking for persuasive-sign construction, mediated by multimodalsigns, is characterised as audience-centric, experience-connected and clichéaware, thus relational, intertextual and integrative, in line with the basic tenetsof edusemiotics. Critical abilities entail taking others’ perspectives, referencing daily experiences and integrating the practical and imaginative sides of design thinking. Iconicity in design co-thinking bridges identity transformation from learnersto designers. As a theoretical contribution, symbolic interactionism wasexpanded to reflect the complementary nature of verbal and non-verbal signsin communication and knowledge construction. Recommendations are provided for enhancing learning in design educationand fostering imaginative thinking in non-design disciplines in higher education.

U2 - 10.17635/lancaster/thesis/1172

DO - 10.17635/lancaster/thesis/1172

M3 - Doctoral Thesis

PB - Lancaster University

ER -