Development of Project-based Learning (PBL) to Improve the Design Ability of Students in Vocational Education

Abstract

Background and Aims: As China's vocational education system aligns with the 2019-2025 reform mandate emphasizing practical competencies and industry integration, interior design education faces the challenge of preparing students for increasingly complex, technology-mediated design practices. Traditional lecture-based approaches inadequately develop the multidimensional competencies required in contemporary residential design. This experimental study aimed to: (1) develop and validate a Project-Based Learning (PBL) instructional model for residential space design, (2) assess its impact on students' design competencies through pre-post comparison, and (3) evaluate student satisfaction with the PBL approach. Methodology: Employing a one-group pretest-posttest design, we implemented a five-week PBL intervention with 42 second-year interior design students at Guangdong Huashang Technical School (first semester, 2025). Students completed an authentic residential renovation project. Data collection included validated design competency assessments (pre/post, 100-point scale across five dimensions), expert evaluation of the instructional model (n=3 experts), and student satisfaction surveys (12-item, 5-point Likert scale). Analysis employed paired t-tests and descriptive statistics. Results: Expert evaluation rated the PBL model at 4.42/5.00 (SD=0.28), indicating high instructional quality. Student design competency scores increased significantly from pretest (M=67.50, SD=9.76) to posttest (M=82.00, SD=8.12), t(41)=17.24, p<.001, with a large effect size (Cohen's d=1.60). Performance gains were most substantial in construction documentation (79.05%) and design presentation (84.88%), with site analysis showing more modest improvement (69.05%). Student satisfaction averaged 4.53/5.00 (SD=0.57). Conclusion: Structured PBL implementation significantly enhanced vocational students' residential design competencies, particularly in technical execution and presentation skills. However, persistent challenges in preliminary analytical tasks suggest the need for scaffolded instruction in client needs assessment and site evaluation. The model's high student satisfaction and expert validation support its integration into vocational interior design curricula.