A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Designing an Instructional Model of Procedural Knowledge Based on Systemic and Constructivist Approaches in Improving the Design Ability of Architectural Freshman Students

The present study aimed to design and apply the instructional model of procedural knowledge based on two systemic and constructivist approaches to compare the effectiveness of these approaches by evaluating the educational activities of architectural freshman students and to identify the appropriate approach to adopt an effective instructional model to improve design ability. Architectural basic design (I) lesson was considered as a case study in this research. Instructional design with a systemic approach was then carried out using the teaching model of procedural knowledge of Moradi (2010) and then with a constructivist approach using the model of Jonassen (1999). The method of the present study was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population included first year undergraduate students of architectural engineering in universities of Hamadan province. Among them, 30 students of architectural basic design (I) lesson of Islamic Azad University, Hamadan Branch were selected as a sample by available sampling methods, but were assigned randomly. The data collection tool was a researcher-made test to measure students' performance, which was approved by experts. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics (mean, variance, standard deviation, etc.) and inferential tests (covariance and its assumptions) with the help of SPSS software (2021) version 22. The results showed that the instructional model of procedural knowledge based on a systemic approach can be more effective in improving the design ability of architectural freshman students who have little basic knowledge than the constructive model by changing the cognitive structures.