Fostering Prosocial Behavior through the Design Thinking Process: A Practice-Based Pedagogical Model in Industrial Design Engineering Education

Öz

This study examines how prosocial behavior can be supported and cultivated as a design competency developed within the design process at the higher education level. The research focuses on a pedagogical intervention structured within a practice-based undergraduate course in the Industrial Design Engineering program. Throughout the course, Design Thinking and Participatory Design approaches were integrated with behavior change and motivation theories. In this context, the COM-B model (Capability–Opportunity–Motivation–Behavior) and Self-Determination Theory were employed not merely as explanatory frameworks for prosocial behavior, but as pedagogical tools guiding the design of the learning environment. The study does not aim to present an experimental impact assessment or quantitative comparison; rather, it adopts a descriptive and observational approach to examining the course process, studio activities, and student design projects. The developed projects demonstrate, through representative examples, how prosocial orientations such as empathy, sharing, collaboration, belonging, and social responsibility can become visible within the design process. The findings suggest that design studios can be structured in ways that frame prosocial behavior not as an external ethical expectation, but as a competency that can be experientially developed through the design process itself. In this respect, the study contributes to the design of education literature by presenting a practice-based pedagogical model and representative examples.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Design Thinking
• Prosocial Behavior
• Design Education
• Industrial Design Engineering
• Practice-Based Learning

Tasarım Odaklı Düşünme Süreciyle Prososyal Davranışın Geliştirilmesi: Endüstriyel Tasarım Mühendisliği Eğitiminde Uygulama Temelli Bir Pedagojik Model

Öz

Bu çalışma, yükseköğretim düzeyinde prososyal davranışın tasarım süreci içinde geliştirilebilen bir tasarım yetkinliği olarak nasıl desteklenebileceğini incelemektedir. Araştırma, Endüstriyel Tasarım Mühendisliği lisans programında yürütülen uygulama temelli bir ders kapsamında yapılandırılan pedagojik müdahaleyi ele almaktadır. Ders sürecinde Tasarım Odaklı Düşünme ve Katılımcı Tasarım yaklaşımları, davranış değişikliği ve motivasyon kuramlarıyla bütünleştirilmiştir. Bu bağlamda COM-B (Yetenek–Fırsat–Motivasyon–Davranış) modeli ve Öz-Belirlenim Kuramı (Self-Determination Theory), prososyal davranışı açıklayan çerçeveler olarak değil, öğrenme ortamının tasarlanmasına rehberlik eden pedagojik araçlar olarak kullanılmıştır. Çalışma, deneysel bir etki ölçümü ya da nicel karşılaştırma sunmayı amaçlamamakta; ders süreci, stüdyo etkinlikleri ve öğrenci tasarım projelerini betimleyici ve gözlemsel bir yaklaşımla ele almaktadır. Geliştirilen projeler, empati, paylaşım, işbirliği, aidiyet ve toplumsal sorumluluk gibi prososyal yönelimlerin tasarım süreci içinde nasıl görünür hâle gelebildiğini temsili örnekler üzerinden ortaya koymaktadır. Elde edilen bulgular, tasarım stüdyolarının prososyal davranışın dışsal bir etik beklenti olarak değil, tasarım süreci içinde deneyimlenerek geliştirilebilen bir yetkinlik olarak yapılandırılabileceğini göstermektedir. Bu yönüyle çalışma, tasarım eğitimi literatürüne uygulama temelli bir pedagojik model ve temsil niteliğinde örnekler sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Tasarım Odaklı Düşünme
• Prososyal Davranış
• Tasarım Eğitimi
• Endüstriyel Tasarım Mühendisliği
• Uygulama Temelli Öğrenme

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