The relationship of design thinking method in self-esteem and creativity within cognitive and emotional context: An activity study

Education is a variable, dynamic and fundamental phenomenon in which lifelong learning is supported. In the past, education was defined as the transfer of information, however after the technological revolution, the progressive ability of accessing information, the production of content, bringing diversity, innovation and creativity to the core, changed the definition of education or the way education was given. Design Thinking has been an approach or method applied in many areas such as design, problem solving and learning since late 60s. Design Thinking is a mindset and approach that has been developed to solve problems, to increase creativity and to create added value to the education process. The idea of design affects the empathy, problem solving skills and creativity of the people in the process. In this context, design thinking is a human centered and innovative process that enhances the abilities of observation, visualization, fast learning, team working and developing strategies. Design Thinking is the combination of empathy, creativity and rationality to analyze solutions in specific contexts. It is a method that includes cognitive processes that can be used by people with different disciplines and research principles, similar to the methods used by designers in the design process to solve problems. In literature, the relationship between many concepts such as motivation, creative thinking, critical thinking, learning experience, problem solving skills, self-efficacy and ergonomics has been examined, but no study examines the relationship of Design Thinking with selfesteem, affect, cognitive flexibility and creativity. A Design Thinking event was organized and executed with the participation of 31 design students from four different departments of TOBB University of Economics and Technology Faculty of Architecture and Design. With an application of Pre-Testing and Post-Testing, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Creative Thinking Skills Scale, PANAS and Cognitive Flexibility Scale were used to collect data from the participants. Using these scales, the answers of the students participating to the Design Thinking training were evaluated and the effects of this approach on problem solving skills, self-esteem and cognitive flexibility were examined.