The design process in architecture: a pedagogic approach using interactive thinking

To present a discussion about architectural design, it is necessary to identify the theoretical perspectives behind architecture. The application of "positive" theories - which require a thorough understanding about the users, their behaviour in space, and their environment - has been selected for this purpose. Such a theoretical perspective calls for systematic research and understanding about man and his environment. The fields of Psychology - in general - and Educational Psychology - in particular - have a great deal to offer architectural educators and students in their search for training and becoming a better problem-solver and designer. Understanding the human nature of thinking and reasoning mechanisms, as the central issue of the design process, plays a major role in this research. The Iowa State University's "Complex Thinking Processes" model - which defines an interaction between "contentlbasic", "critical", and "creative" thinking - is integrated with a proposed model for design methodology - which introduces an interaction between three stages of 'understanding', 'idealising', and 'presenting'. The use of action research in this thesis facilitated the collection of data from British educators as well as educators from other countries, on the subjects of architectural design education and the design process. This thesis concludes with a case study in which the proposed "interactive" teaching strategy has been trilled with a group of Third-year students of architecture at the University of Tehran.