How’s your CQ?: A quasi-experimental study of cultural intelligence levels in traditional students following study abroad and classroom-based cultural experiences
McCann, A.-S., Tan, L., Thornton, K. (2023) How’s your CQ?: A quasi-experimental study of cultural intelligence levels in traditional students following study abroad and classroom-based cultural experiences. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad (35)1.
- peer review
- open access
- Acceptance rate: 26%
- H-5 index: 16
- DOAJ-indexed
- collaborative
- multidisciplinary
- multi-institution
This research assessed the impact of study abroad and classroom-based cultural experiences on traditional college students’ cultural intelligence (CQ) levels, as measured through the standardized Cultural Intelligence Survey. Data from students participating in cultural experiences were collected using the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS). The hypotheses were tested using a pre-test/post-test research design and a non-randomized sample (quasi-experimental). The results were initially analyzed using descriptive statistics to report mean average and standard deviation scores before and after each cultural experience. A second round of analysis was performed to provide a deeper understanding of CQ scores at the dimension level. A closer analysis of the data raised some questions about best practices in assessing cultural experiences that contribute to the discussion and growing body of research regarding cultural intelligence literature. Overall, the findings from this research support the value of cultural experiences in raising CQ levels among traditional college students.
“Looking closer at differences between scores from on campus and study abroad students, a possible explanation for why students on campus had a higher baseline metacognitive score than study abroad students could be found in their underlying motivators. For example, for students who are not required to engage in cultural experiences, motivators may play a dominant role in outcomes. In other words, students who choose a course that will teach them about other cultures are already making strategic moves to become more culturally intelligent whereas students who elect to travel abroad may be motivated by a desire for adventure or a need to progress through a perceived rite of passage.”
COVID-19 Study Spaces: Supportive Adaptation of Home Learning Environments During the Pandemic
Gatlin, A.R., Swearingen, S.A., Tan, L. (2022) COVID-19 study spaces: Supportive adaptation of home learning environments during the pandemic. Journal of Learning Spaces (11)1.
- peer review
- open access
- DOAJ-indexed
- collaborative
- multi-institution
The COVID-19 pandemic has driven considerable changes in how we live, work, and study. How have students adapted space to support remote study? This research project aimed to understand where students were learning and how they were using and adapting the space. An online survey gathered data from 542 college students across 93 majors at two institutions in the United States. Results suggest that the bedroom space is the most common study space, and that space adaptation is tied to positive outcomes for students.
“Within those that reported the bedroom as their primary study space, the most common body positions for studying were studying in a chair, sitting or lying in bed, or working at a table” (p. 86)
“Adjustments to space, specifically the bedroom space, were positively correlated to overall satisfaction with space, feelings of productivity in the space, and engagement in coursework during remote work sessions. Adjustments to space, though, did not appear to have a meaningful relationship with satisfaction with peer-to-peer connections. Figure 7 summarizes these relationships in four graphs. A respondent who made many adjustments to their study space could be extremely dissatisfied with the level of connection to their peers while one who made few adjustments could be extremely satisfied. One possible explanation for this could be that students who spent less time studying at home, alone, were less likely to make adjustments but more likely to be away from home in a shared study space such as the campus library” (p. 87).
Optimizing the Restorative Potential of the Italian Renaissance Garden: A Pattern Library
Terry, H. & Tan, L. (2021) Optimizing the Restorative Potential of the Italian Renaissance Garden: A Pattern Library. Auburn University Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship.
- peer review
- open access
- collaborative
- undergraduate researcher
The undergraduate researcher conducted an emergent analysis of literature regarding restorative environments and the human connection to nature to identify emergent patterns and a suitable theoretical framework, then synthesized and distilled the complex concepts of the literature into simplified patterns that can be integrated into the Joseph S. Bruno program’s outdoor greenspace renovation. The researcher printed her volumes of the Pattern Library, handstitched the binding, and delivered the finished collection in a customized, handcrafted wood box set.
Through the House of Slaves: A memorial to the origins of the Black diaspora
Albert, T.W., Tan, L. (2021) Through the House of Slaves: A memorial to the origins of the Black diaspora. Art & the Public Sphere Journal, 10(1).
- peer review
- Scopus-indexed
- collaborative
The debate surrounding the removal of statues of imperialists, slave owners and slave traders raises the question of how to memorialize sombre historical truths with cultural humility. The House of Slaves on Gorée Island, Senegal, represents the connections of cultural identity, belonging and placemaking reclaimed from the enduring cultural trauma of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Using daughtering as a methodology (Evans-Winters 2019: 1), the authors present a discussion about the symbolic nature of art that memorializes a transformational passage shaped by imperialism and racist ideology. The critical relationship between art and culture as embodied in an architectural form is explored through (1) the anthropological notion of belonging as membership and identity, (2) the direct human affective/emotional impact of architecture as art in the social and political issues of past and present and (3) art as an intracultural interaction based in cultural trauma and community spaces. Theoretical Framework: critical race theory. Method: autoethnographic narrative. Results: The House of Slaves speaks of a critical cultural moment that shaped the creation of a new cultural diaspora. This historical structure has become a sacred, spiritual Mecca for those whose ancestors were displaced from continental Africa. The remains of its architectural form reveal the forgotten history of slave exploitation that happened here. This memorial speaks of the continued struggle to make a space safe for Black bodies, Black design and Black identity within the public sphere. The cultural memory of this artefact, and all moments and memorials shaped by imperialism and racism, haunt our present reality. Just as art played a role in celebrating now-outdated narratives, it may also reframe these sombre historical truths. Art can elevate contemporary narratives that embrace cultural humility and speak to cultural competence through the continued first-person experiences of these monuments, spaces and artefacts.
The slave house as symbolic artifact
Albert, T.W. & Tan, L. (2021) The slave house as symbolic artifact. Journal of Interior Design, 46(2), 55-72.
- peer review
- Scopus-indexed
- collaborative
The Slave House on Gorée Island is a sacred, spiritual mecca representing the transformational passage of descendants whose ancestors were displaced from continental Africa through the Trans–Atlanta slave trade. This visual essay presents an autoethnographic exploration—including first person narrative voice—to discuss spaces, places, and architectural structures central both to the Slave House as an architectural structure and to the context of Black identity. The structure, we argue, speaks of architectural beatification by Black ancestral spirits at a critical cultural moment of cultural diasporic creation and displacement of spirit and identity. It acts as a witness to the trauma of ancestral separation, the cultural memory transmitted through every taken step, and the common experience of displacement and identity that emotionally connects the present with the past.
The Working Labs model in action
Tan, L., & Gatlin, A. R. (2020). The Working Labs model in action. International Journal of Designs for Learning, 11(2), 108-117.
- peer review
- Acceptance rate: 35%
- CLOCKSS-archived
- collaborative
This design case describes the process by which a private office was renovated using the Working Labs model, which engages students, faculty, and staff in hands-on engagement from project conception through completion and beyond into ongoing evaluation of everyday use. The spaces that follow the Working Labs model are intended to provide students of a Southeastern University’s nationally ranked interior design program with hands-on access to furnishings, fixtures, products, and materials from leading industry partners. The authors will describe the process by which the initiative was launched and how the first phase was brought to completion on time and at little cost to the University.
Using global design elements over traditional elements: Measuring acculturation of global consumer culture influence on Jordanian design students
Sokienah, Y. & Tan, L. (2019) Using global design elements over traditional elements: Measuring acculturation of global consumer culture influence on Jordanian design students. International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering, 8(3).
- applied research
- exploratory
- peer review
- Impact Factor 5.92
- Scopus-indexed
- collaborative
- cross-institution
This study is an investigation of how the level of acculturation of global consumer culture (GCC) among architecture and interior design students and professionals affects their beliefs for using global architectural elements over Jordanian traditional elements. A questionnaire used and modified different existing scales to measure the variables of this study. The results suggest that the more a designer acculturated to GCC the less they are going to use traditional architectural elements. If this attitude toward local and traditional architecture keeps fluctuating will lead to a loss in the local identity.
Improving student commitment to healthcare-related design practice by improving the studio learning experience
Tan, L., Hong, M., & Albert, T.W. (2017) Improving student commitment to healthcare-related design practice by improving the studio learning experience. Health Environments Research and Design Journal, 10(5).
- applied research
- explanatory
- design case study
- peer review
- 5-Year Impact Factor: 3.233
- Medline/Scopus-indexed
- collaborative
- cross-institution
Objective:
This case study explores the influence of the healthcare design studio experience on students’ short-term professional goals as measured through rates of healthcare-related certification and internship/employment.
Background:
The value and relevance of interior design is evident in the healthcare design sector. However, interior design students may not perceive this value if it is not communicated through their design education. Students’ experience in the design studio plays a crucial role in determining career choices, and students may be more committed to career goals when there is clear connection between major coursework and professional practice.
Method:
The authors compared healthcare-related certification and internship/employment levels between two student cohorts in a capstone undergraduate interior design healthcare design studio course. The first cohort was led by the existing curriculum. The second cohort was led by the revised curriculum that specifically aimed at encouraging students to commit to healthcare-related design practice.
Results:
When measured at 3 months from graduation, the second cohort, led by the revised curriculum, saw a 30% increase in Evidence-based Design Accreditation and Certification exam pass rates and a 40% increase in healthcare-related internship/employment.
Conclusion:
The challenge of interior design education is to instill in emerging professionals not only professional competence but also those professional attitudes that will make them better prepared to design spaces that improve quality of life, particularly in healthcare environments. The results exceeded the project goals, and so this could be considered a promising practice for courses focused on healthcare design education.
“HIT has become widely used to effectively manage and securely share health information, improve efficiency, reduce errors, cut costs, and expand access to quality, affordable care (Chaudry et al., 2006). Students are required to address the use of electronic medical records and in particular to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act in all relevant aspects of the design” (p. 4).
“The challenge of interior design education is to instill in emerging professionals not only professional competence but also those professional attitudes that will make them better prepared to design spaces that will improve quality of life, particularly in healthcare environments” (p. 15).
Digital drawing tablets for design communication: Focus on apparel and interior design studios
Chattaraman, V., Tan, L., & Peek, P. (2016) Digital drawing tablets for design communication: Focus on apparel and interior design studios. The International Journal of Design Education.
- basic research
- exploratory
- peer review
- Scopus-indexed
- collaborative
- crossdisciplinary
Effective design communication skills are necessary for success within the apparel and interior design professions. This project aimed to incorporate the use of pen-based digital drawing tools into studio instruction in apparel and interior design and assess the effectiveness of the instructional enhancement on critical student learning outcomes relating to technical and aesthetic quality of digital drawings. Results of the assessment revealed that students perceived the mouse to be more effective than the digital pen, with respect to both technical quality of line (line weight, consistency, and smoothness) and aesthetic quality of line (line depth, expression, character, flow, and movement) of digital drawings. However, the digital pen was perceived to be more effective among Interior Design students than Apparel Design students with respect to technical quality of form (proportion and level of detail). Hence, the findings of this exploratory assessment revealed that the mouse was the preferred tool for students in context to the aesthetic and technical quality of the line when creating technical drawings with a reference object. Future studies need to investigate whether the digital pen is more effective than the mouse in the context of free-form drawings that students create from their imagination without a reference object.
“Results revealed that the tool used (mouse, pen) had a significant main effect on the perceived aesthetic quality of the line [Wilks’ λ = .836, F(1, 23) = 4.51, p < .05] and the technical quality of the line [Wilks’ λ = .829, F(1, 26) = 5.37, p < .05]. The mouse produced higher perceptions of aesthetic quality of the line than the digital pen (Mmouse = 3.68, SE = .15, Mpen = 3.28, SE = .17), as well as higher perceptions of technical quality of the line than the digital pen (Mmouse = 3.86, SE = .15, Mpen = 3.47, SE = .17). Hence, the mouse was perceived to be more effective than the digital pen, with respect to the technical quality of line (line weight, consistency, and smoothness) and the aesthetic quality of line (line depth, expression, character, flow and movement).”
HEI-LO model: A grounded theory approach to assess digital drawing tools
Tan, L., Peek, P. & Chattaraman, V. (2015) HEI-LO model: A grounded theory approach to assess digital drawing tools. Journal of Interior Design, 40(1).
- basic research
- exploratory
- theory / model
- peer review
- acceptance rate: 34%
- Scopus-indexed
- collaborative
- crossdisciplinary
This paper compares the efficacy of four digital drawing tools—mouse, iPad, Wacom Cintiq, and Bamboo1—when measured by user perception of technical and esthetic quality outcomes. The tools were assessed through the experiences of 20 senior–level undergraduate students majoring in interior design. The results indicate the mouse was preferred overall, contradicting previous studies showing students’ preference for digital drawing tablets. However, as we show, drawing is an affordance–based interaction that is influenced by participants’ prior experience with both hand and digital drawing tools. We therefore propose a grounded–theory model underscoring the importance of hand–eye–interface (HEI) and layout and orientation (LO) in supporting successful introduction of any new drawing tool. Further implications of the HEI–LO model suggest facilitating learning with multiple opportunities to use a wide range of tools to embed experiences in long–term memory, strengthen learned conventions, and promote positive affordances for both hand and digital media.
“We propose, based on the HEI–LO model, that the HEI relationship of the Bamboo—H(y)EI(x)—conflicts with previously learned conventions from hand drawing—H(y)EI(y)—as well as digital drawing using a mouse—H(x)EI(x). This suggests that the Bamboo, more than any other tool tested, requires the greatest draw on working memory and incurs the greatest cognitive load, making it the hardest tool to use because it least familiar within the context of affordance-based interactions like drawing. In contrast, student behaviors related to the mouse are automatized through ubiquitous use; learned conventions result in a positive affordance-based interaction and a more intuitive-feeling tool” (p. 51).
Emerging designers in the studio cave: A story of becoming
Tan, L. (2014) Emerging designers in the studio cave: A story of becoming. Fusion Journal. 003.
- peer review
- DOAJ-indexed
- PANDORA-archived
- solo
- crossdisciplinary
- translational
The studio cave as a story of becoming offers to ground students in a shared origin from which they grow together, and subsequently challenges that growth by offering problems without a single, right answer. Ultimately, this intellectual relativism will lead them beyond the studio on a journey of discovery and life long learning within professional practice. Thus, we can see the studio cave as constellation of metaphorical symbols that shape design education.
“Huppatz makes a compelling case for the interiority of the cave, I think, but misses the mark in asserting that humans are the only creatures who manipulate their existing conditions to create a more suitable environment (2012, p. 6). In every spider web, fox den, and bird nest we see our fellow animals shaping their surroundings to suit their individual needs. To shape space is one of the most natural behaviors of the human animal and, by extension, human culture. This is a fundamental and empowering connection between design and the natural world. Therefore, I would argue that Huppatz suffers from flawed dualist thinking in suggesting that the manipulation of an environment necessitates its separation from nature (6).”
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Designing for virtual learning spaces: A Second Life example
Tan, L. & Waxman, L. (2013) Designing for virtual learning spaces: A Second Life example. International Journal of Designs for Learning, 4(2), 72-79.
- peer review
- acceptance rate: 36%
- CLOCKSS-archived
- collaborative
- cross-institution
This case describes the design of a virtual campus learning space using the Second Life platform. Second Life allows users to create spaces in which avatars can move about and interact in various environments using text, voice, or gestures to communicate. Several universities have reported utilizing Second Life spaces to enhance collaborative learning and problem solving as an extension of traditional face-to-face learning, while others are teaching entirely within these Second Life environments. This project reports the process and outcomes of the design of a virtual campus for Florida State University and focuses on two aspects of the project: the design of a virtual library, and the design of a virtual retail space. The process can be described in four phases that summarize the progress of the design from ideation through execution: 1) pre-design, 2) design-build, 3) evaluation, and 4) occupancy. The resulting design solutions were carefully evaluated and modified prior to occupancy and the final designs successfully met client needs and supported student learning outcomes. This design project, conceived and developed by an interdisciplinary design team, addressed project planning in the design of a virtual environment.
“The POS devices were scripted to record purchases within a specific distance, but based on the location of the POS some merchandising displays were out of range. Further adjustments to the distance setting resulted in a different problem, namely that some garment purchases were duplicates, which meant a single purchase was recorded on multiple inventories. The solution was to assign each POS device a unique communication channel, but retain the larger distance setting” (p. 78).
A review of environmental symbology: Origins and contributions toward a theoretical framework
Tan, L. (2011) A review of environmental symbology: Origins and contributions toward a theoretical framework. Journal of Interior Design, 36(2), 39-49.
- peer review
- FCR 1.87 (highly cited)
- acceptance rate: 27%
- scopus-indexed
- solo
- crossdisciplinary
Environmental symbology (ES) is the study of symbolic meaning within the human environment including personal, sociocultural, and mythic contexts of understanding. This emerging discipline is part of the web of environment and behavior research, with roots in several fields including semiotics, symbolic anthropology, and psychoanalysis. Symbolic meaning enriches human space with personal and sociocultural value; it communicates attitudes and beliefs, integrates with other sign systems in communication, and regulates social behaviors. Yet, to date, none of the existing literature has acknowledged the full scope of ES and contemporary research into ES remains limited. To understand how ES can contribute to the body of knowledge in interior design, it is necessary to present how this realm of research is both collaborative and additive with other fields. This review explores the theoretical framework of ES research and highlights some of the major contributions from other disciplines. It then explains the role of the environmental symbologist in serving the body of knowledge of interior design through cataloging symbolic artifacts and motifs. Further, the work describes the present author’s development of a symbolic typology utilizing Jung’s model of archetypes and explains several of the symbolic motifs identified therein. An improved understanding of the symbolic meaning of space can benefit our understanding of the psychological needs of its inhabitants. This review offers an introduction in how and why the environmental symbologist gives primacy to the exploration of the human–environment relationship through the study of the personal, sociocultural, and mythic meanings of space.
“Environmental symbology (ES) refers to the study of symbolic meaning within the human environment including personal, sociocultural, and mythic contexts of understanding” (p. 39).
“Humans shape their environment, encoding it with symbolic language (Fromm, 1951; Hall, 1959, 1966; Preziosi, 1979; Turner, 1967). This environmental language offers cues for behavior (Barker&Associates, 1978; Barker&Wright, 1955), integrates with other sign systems of communication (Preziosi, 1979), and regulates social norms (Turner, 1967)” (p. 41).