Studio pedagogy: The social construction of design life space through the analysis of dyadic discourse

Teaching architectural design is a complex pedagogical process on which little formal research has been conducted. This study uses an interpretive, qualitative analysis of the content of conversations between students of design and a design teacher to portray the process of teaching and learning design in an intermediate architectural design studio. The intellectual life of the design studio is elaborated through the development of a construct called design life space.;A transcription of one hundred and forty hours of studio discussion was used as the data base. The data were collected on a micro casette recorder. The data set is a complete log of all discussion between the faculty member and the students over the life of the design studio. In this, the data presents a full and accurate picture of the verbal life of the design studio.;The design life space is shown to be the operative environment in which design problems are articulated and communicated in the process of teaching design. Five specific actions have been identified that are used to construct the design life space. These actions: specifying, witnessing, structuring, visualizing and sharing are used to describe the dimensions of the design life space and generate a working definition. The design life space and the portrayal of the design studio are a foundation for further research on the design studio as a teaching and learning environment.