Student Perceptions Concerning the Influence of Design-Related Reality Shows

Abstract

The popularity of design-related television shows has been on the rise since 2000. Within that same time span, many interior design programs have reported significant increases in enrollment. The goals of this study were to better understand the perceptions of design students to assess if design-related reality shows impacted their choice of major, as well as lead to better overall understanding regarding their motivations for watching these shows. The study included students from two accredited interior design programs. The method involved two phases of data collection: survey and focus groups. Over 90% of participants reported that they watched a design-related show at least once a week. Fifty-three percent of freshmen responded that these shows influenced their choice of major either extremely strongly, fairly strongly, or had a slight influence while only 15% of seniors had the same response. Findings indicated that student perceptions of these shows were mixed with some positive as well as negative impressions.