چكيده لاتين
The present study aimed to Investigating the Impact of a Design Thinking Intervention with a Project Based Learning Approach on Students’ Employability Soft Skills. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group was employed. The sample consisted of 34 undergraduate students who voluntarily participated in the study and were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 16) or the control group (n = 18). Quantitative data were collected using the 4Cs checklist (Creativity, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, and Communication) to assess soft skills and were analyzed through analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). In the qualitative strand, semi-structured interviews (conducted before and after the intervention), focus groups, and field observations were used. Thematic analysis was applied following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) method due to its flexibility and precision in identifying core themes.
Quantitative results revealed that the design thinking intervention significantly improved students’ creativity (p < 0.001), critical thinking (p = 0.026), collaboration (p = 0.016), and communication (p < 0.001) skills. The qualitative findings supported these results, highlighting that the creative, challenge-based, and interdisciplinary structure of the intervention—through providing practical opportunities and active student engagement—led to the synergistic development of these skills. In the domain of creativity, studentsʹ perceptions shifted from an individualistic and limited view to a more applied, team-oriented, and innovative perspective. Regarding critical thinking, there was a notable transformation from superficial, individual approaches to deep, staged, and multidimensional analysis. Collaboration evolved from a passive, task-based form to a balanced, creative, and idea-exchange-oriented interaction. Finally, communication shifted from one-sided and individual expression to a two-way, interactive style enriched with empathy and mutual understanding. Overall, this study demonstrated that a design thinking-based intervention provides a fertile ground for the integrated and comprehensive development of employability soft skills and can serve as an effective bridge between academic education and real-world labor market demands.
