Abstract
Learning about ‘wicked problems (WP)’ in sustainability such as pollution, urban waste, and food and water shortages could incur a sense of helplessness among students. WP is complex to understand and challenging to teach. Our experience suggests how these concepts are taught is as important for student learning as is teaching the concepts of WP. The following question guided our research: What pedagogical approaches do we need to ignite creativity and to foster hope of a sustainable future when teaching about WP? This case study explores students’ perceptions upon taking the WP Design Thinking (DT) program at Leiden University College (LUC in Netherlands). Students’ creativity and desires for a positive change were examined using content analysis of their reflective journals, in-depth interviews and a focus group discussion. We specifically focused on a sense of hope leading to fostered emotional stability, proactive engagement (e.g. creativity or innovative solutions) and learning in a time of pandemic, COVID-19. Based on our findings, students who applied the DT approach to tackling the WP of household urban waste, demonstrated readiness toward team cooperation, emotional resilience, and self-awareness of their own environmental behavior. Students found interdisciplinary and multifaceted approaches to learning helpful in clarifying personal priorities, concerns and values.
Author Information
Min Jung Cho, Leiden University College The Hague, Netherlands
Ann Trevenen-Jones, Leiden University College The Hague, Netherlands
Paper Information
Conference: IICE2023
Stream: Education
This paper is part of the IICE2023 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Cho M., & Trevenen-Jones A. (2023) Design Thinking in Education as a Catalyst to Discover and Maintain a Sense of Hope, Agency, and Confidence for Students ISSN: 2189-1036 – The IAFOR International Conference on Education – Hawaii 2023 Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-1036.2023.69
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-1036.2023.69
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