Experiences in Architecture Creativity Education in Iranian Universities with an Emphasis on the Effects of Divergent and Convergent Thinking (Case Study: Faculty of Art and Architecture, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST)

Designers and architects design architecture and create ideas by taking the advantage of the design process, and architecture professors play vital roles in this way because they consider design paths and lines of thought for designers and architects and give them the freedom to create creative designs. Undoubtedly, the final output of each designer and architect is related to the thinking of professors who have been or will be under their education. Given that the selection of either convergent or divergent thinking in the design process yields different results and affects the urban landscape and the architecture of any country, the present study sought to investigate the effects of divergent and convergent thinking on architecture creativity education in Iranian universities (case study: Faculty of Art and Architecture, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST)). The research was applied in terms of purpose and had a mixed-method descriptive-analytical, survey, and case study method. Two tests were utilized to determine the effectiveness of the creativity education process for architecture students, namely Abedi's creativity test (ACT) and Torrance test of creative thinking (TTCT) in divergent thinking, and the Kolb Learning Styles Inventory (KLSI) in convergent thinking. The research data were collected using the field method with ACT, TTCT, and KLSI. The research examined 21 male and female students in the architecture discipline of the Faculty of Art and Architecture, Iran University of Science and Technology. Data analysis was performed using SPSS21. Therefore, the research referred to the concept of education in general, and architecture creativity education in particular, and then discussed education methods and models in architecture in an analytical approach. Finally, the research findings indicated that students with divergent learning thinking had greater creativity.