Interior Design in K–12 Curricula: Asking the Experts

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to assess how interior design content areas (subject matter) could be introduced and integrated into elementary and secondary (K–12) grade levels in support of national academic education standards. Although the minimum standards have been developed for entry level interior designers (Council for Interior Design Accreditation [CIDA] Standards, adopted 2002) and beyond (National Council for Interior Design Qualification [NCIDQ]), a gap exists in the interior design education continuum from “kindergarten to career.” Between June 2001 to April 2002, in order to understand perceptions of experts in interior design and elementary and secondary education, focus group sessions and personal interviews were conducted with interior design educators and practitioners, K–12 teachers (elementary, junior high, and high school levels), national standards curriculum specialists (local and state levels), and school–to–career curriculum specialists. The goal of the study was to develop a framework that could guide the integration of interior design content into K–12 levels. This paper reports the findings from the focus groups and proposes a framework that could guide the national integration of interior design content into grades K–12, support national academic standards, and suggest possible channels of dissemination for developed interior design curriculum materials.