The extent to which the competencies gained by fashion design graduates in studio courses meet professional needs

Abstract

The aim of fashion design education is to train fashion designers who can best meet the needs, demands, and expectations of the industry. To this aim, educational institutions offering fashion designeducation strive to shape their programs, and feedback studies on the effectiveness and adequacy of these programs are crucial for evaluating and updating them. Accordingly, the main objective ofthis research is to examine the extent to which the competencies acquired by undergraduate fashion design program graduates in studio courses (project courses) affect their knowledge, skills, and attitudes in their working lives, by comparing them in terms of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor competencies, and conducting a general evaluation of the implemented program. The research followed a quantitative method, employing a single survey model. A 5-point Likert-type questionnaire developed by the researcher was used to collect data. The study sample consisted of graduates from the Textile and Fashion Design Department of the Faculty of Architecture and Design at Eskişehir Technical University, and the sample comprised 98 graduates reached through criterion sampling. Descriptive statistical techniques were used in the analysis of the obtained data, and in line with the research findings, it was concluded that the current education program meets the needs of graduates in their working lives in terms of cognitive, psychomotor, and affective competencies.