Investigating the Role of Congruence Between Personality Types and Educational Models in Enhancing Creativity in Architectural Design

Abstract

Creativity is one of the most fundamental components of the architectural design process, and its enhancement is considered a primary objective of education in design studios. However, applying a uniform educational model to students with different personality characteristics and types may constrain their creative potential. This study aims to investigate the role of congruence between students’ personality types and educational approaches in enhancing creativity throughout the architectural design process. The theoretical framework integrates personality theories, the person–environment fit approach, adaptive education, and the principal dimensions of creativity. Within this framework, personality type is considered the independent variable; the educational approach is treated as a moderating variable; and design creativity—comprising fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration—is regarded as the dependent variable. In terms of purpose, the study is applied research, and methodologically, it adopts an exploratory–explanatory mixed-methods design. The educational approaches examined include individual, collaborative, problem-based, and project-based learning. It is expected that congruence between students’ personality characteristics and instructional approaches will enhance motivation, active participation, creative self-efficacy, and the ability to generate diverse design solutions. The findings may contribute to developing a flexible, personality-oriented model for architectural design education. Rather than categorizing students into fixed personality groups, this model considers individual differences as a basis for diversifying instructional strategies and provides a foundation for the equitable enhancement of creativity in architectural design studios.