Alawadhi, A., Al-Zamil, F. (2023). The Role of Social Media In the Education Process of Interior Design Students. test, 13(3), 33-41. doi: 10.21608/idj.2023.296253
Ahmed M. Alawadhi; Fawzi A. Al-Zamil. "The Role of Social Media In the Education Process of Interior Design Students". test, 13, 3, 2023, 33-41. doi: 10.21608/idj.2023.296253
Alawadhi, A., Al-Zamil, F. (2023). 'The Role of Social Media In the Education Process of Interior Design Students', test, 13(3), pp. 33-41. doi: 10.21608/idj.2023.296253
Alawadhi, A., Al-Zamil, F. The Role of Social Media In the Education Process of Interior Design Students. test, 2023; 13(3): 33-41. doi: 10.21608/idj.2023.296253

The Role of Social Media In the Education Process of Interior Design Students

International Design Journal
Article 3, Volume 13, Issue 3, May and June 2023, Pages 33-41    PDF (1.33 M)
Document Type: Original Article
DOI: 10.21608/idj.2023.296253
Authors
Ahmed M. Alawadhi1; Fawzi A. Al-Zamil2
1Assistant Professor, Interior Design Department, College of Basic Education, Ardiyah, State of Kuwait Email: Amh.Alawadhi@paaet.edu.kw
2Associate Professor, Interior Design Department, College of Basic Education, Ardiyah, State of Kuwait Email: Fa.Alzamil@paaet.edu.kw
Abstract
Social Media has become an integral part of our daily life and a popular tool to research, compose, and share content. It has created endless resources in any subject one needs promptly, therefore, it is considered a vital tool in the area of interior design education to enhance learning knowledge and student performance. Regardless of the widespread and importance of social media, research in this area is rare and scarce. This research aims to shed the light on the uses of social media by interior design students and enlighten students and teachers on the vital role it plays as an attempt to find a coherent relationship between social media platformers and the design process in interior design education.
Research Problem: Widespread access to smartphones, the internet, and social media has made information about interior design widely available, but this raises challenges for design educators who must be prepared to work with students exposed to a higher extent of information. The research problems comprise The unawareness for the role and capability of social media platforms in the educational process of interior design students at the State of Kuwait, The refraining of interior design educators from using social media in their classes by students at the State of Kuwait, The limited involvement for the use of social media platforms in the interior design curriculum.
Significance of the Study: Our research provides educators in interior design with insights on the use of social media platforms by students as a capable tool in our field and the importance of incorporating social media platforms in interior design courses.
Methodology: The researches designed a survey instrument focusing on social media platforms uses by interior design students, the purpose of using them, the advantages and disadvantages of using social media, and the involvement of the department and educators in social media. This online survey was shared through a Google form among interior design students in the State of Kuwait. The data gathered by the study is presented and interpreted in the form of numerical values, which are exhibited in the form of charts and tables.
Major Results: The results acquired by the researchers from the survey confirmed the heavy usage of social media and student dependencies on them to acquire information and resources to help them in their interior design studies, having numerous advantages for using social media, and the deficiency of the department and faculties in involvement in social media and encouraging student to use social media in their studies. Overall, Instagram, snapchat, and Twitter were used the most between interior design students. The majority of the students follow accounts and designers related to the design field in social media, use social media to gather information about interior design more than books and references, and have developed their skills and knowledge in interior design. The advantages of using social media were due to their up-to-date information, richness of resources, and ease of access to information and experts in the field. Although the majority of departments lack presence in social media, almost all student prefers for their educators to have presence in social media platforms to be considered a reliable source of information for them. The research shows that social media plays a major role in interior design awareness for students, accessing social media platforms frequently for ideas, inspiration, and other source of information.
Keywords
Interior Design; social media; education process
Supplementary Files
References
  1. Alansari, A. E., & Alnajadah, A. S. (2018). The Impact of the Use of Social Media, Social Networking, and Electronic Search Engines on the Spread of the Interior Design Culture. International Design Journal, 8(4), 293-301.‏
  2. AlAjeel, S. A. (2018). The effect of social media on the Kuwaiti SMEs 2017/El impacto de las redes sociales en las pymes kuwaitíes en 2017. Revista Internacional de Relaciones Públicas, 8(16), 67-84.
  3. Boateng, R., & Amankwaa, A. (2016). The impact of social media on student academic life in higher education. Global Journal of Human-Social Science, 16(4), 1-8.
  4. Cho, J. Y., & Cho, M. H. (2020). Students’ use of social media in collaborative design: a case study of an advanced interior design studio. Cognition, Technology & Work, 22(4), 901-916.
  5. Citra (n.d.). Communication and Information Technology Regularity Authority. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.citra.gov.kw/sites/ar/Pages/Home.aspx
  6. Filgo, E. H., & Martinsen, M. (2017). Reframing pinterest: Information literacy for interior design students. Internet Reference Services Quarterly, 22(2-3), 107-121.
  7. Hruska, J., & Maresova, P. (2020). Use of social media platforms among adults in the United States—behavior on social media. Societies, 10(1), 27.
  8. Hines, K. (2022, Jan 14). Social Media Usage Statistics For Digital Marketers In 2022. Search Engine Journal. Retrieved from earchenginejournal.com/top-social-media-statistics/418826/
  9. Izadpanah, S. (2021). Evaluating the role of pinterest in education and the profession of interior architecture. İdil Sanat ve Dil Dergisi, 10(87), 1559-1572.
  10. Izadpanah, S., & Gunce, K. (2021). Social media as a means of increasing non-designers’ insight into interior design. The Design Journal, 24(4), 547-566.
  11. Johnson, L., Becker, S. A., Cummins, M., Estrada, V., Freeman, A., & Hall, C. (2016). NMC horizon report: 2016 higher education edition (pp. 1-50). The New Media Consortium.
  12. Kemp, S. (2022, Feb 15). Digital 2022: Kuwait. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from DataReportal - Global Digital Insights: datareportal.com/reports/digital-2022-kuwait
  13. Kennon, M. Y. (2019). Tacit knowledge in the use of social media as a means for inspiration in interior design (Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia).
  14. Whyte, W., & Hennessy, C. (2017). Social Media use within medical education: A systematic review to develop a pilot questionnaire on how social media can be best used at BSMS. MedEdPublish, 6(83), 83.
Statistics
Article View: 390
PDF Download: 473