Philosophical Perspectives Promoting Design Innovation

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the ways in which philosophical perspectives facilitate educational outcomes in opportunity identification in the context of design innovation. It first integrates existing literature from entrepreneurship studies and education to propose a theoretical framework for understanding opportunity and innovation in the field of design. Then, drawing on this framework, this paper employs an experimental method that investigates the impacts of pedagogical strategies of three philosophical perspectives (behaviorism, cognitivism, and social constructivism) on three measurements of educational outcome (knowledge acquisition, opportunity identification ability, and innovation ability). The findings indicate that different teaching methods yield varying effects on the cultivation of each ability. Specifically, behaviorism is conducive to knowledge acquisition, cognitivism is beneficial for opportunity identification, and social constructivism stands out regarding innovation and teamwork. These findings validate the viability of the theoretical framework and empirical data for enhancing design innovation education.