Review of creativity factors in final year design projects in China

This paper focuses on investigating a common phenomenon that emerges in the reformative process of China’s design education system from the traditional to ‘creativity-directed’. The investigation is explored through the following aspects: the circumstance of conducting Final Year Design Projects (FYDPs) in China, with a review of relevant pedagogical theories of Project-based learning (PjBL); and a review of cross-cultural understanding of creativity. Through conducting the literature survey, it is proposed that some product design students’ lack creative abilities that could affect their learning performance in FYDPs. It is proposed that this is evident through their difficulty in applying subject specific knowledge in an effective way. Analyses suggest that underpinning the problem might be the educational and social cultures within China’s product design programmes and how the final year projects are implemented. In conclusion it is suggested that design students’ creative abilities are influenced by the adopted problem solving processes that involve knowledge application.