Design Thinking in Educational Publications - A Document Analysis of Books Issued by Turkish Public Institutions and Implications for the Technology and Design Course

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by OmBimo

This research investigates how design thinking (DT) is defined and implemented in education books published by Turkish public institutions. A qualitative document analysis method was used, selecting seven books issued by the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of National Education (MONE) and TÜBİTAK. Results show DT is framed as a human-centered, interdisciplinary process requiring skills, mindsets, and 21st-century skill-related values, while the development of designers’ mindsets for non-designers is often overlooked. The study argues DT should be adopted holistically and proposes strategies for Technology and Design integration.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Design Thinking Approach

Design Thinking in educational publications: A document analysis of books issued by Turkish Public Institutions and implications for the Technology and Design course * Ahsen Öztürk, Kütahya Dumlupınar University, Türkiye Abstract This research aims to investigate how the design thinking (DT) approach in education is defined and implemented in related books published by public institutions in Türkiye. The document analysis method, a qualitative research method, was used for data collection and analysis. Seven books published by the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of National Education (MONE) and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) were selected as the data. Findings indicate that DT is perceived as a human-centered and interdisciplinary problem-solving process that requires a set of skills and mindsets and incorporates some values associated with 21st-century skills. In the books, the matter of how to develop a designer’s mindset and skills in non-designers – teachers and students – is generally overlooked or under-emphasized. Therefore, the DT approach in education is not comprehended and practiced as a holistic approach that requires the interaction between relevant processes, mindsets, and tools. Considering the findings, incorporating the humancentered, experimental, and collaborative characteristics of the DT approach into the educational culture or teaching method can help teachers and students to adopt DT as a holistic approach rather than just a problem-solving process. The DT approach can also be employed as a tool to establish a context for technology teaching or integration. In line with this, some strategies are proposed to strengthen the integration of the DT approach within Technology and Design education. This research is considered significant in terms of providing teachers with a perspective on the DT approach and how it is integrated into Technology and Design education. Keywords Design thinking, Design thinking in Türkiye, Design thinking in K-12 education, Design thinking for educators, Design thinking in Technology and Design Education * This article was produced from the study titled “What Does Design Thinking Mean in Turkey? Analysis of DT-related Books Published by Public Institutions”, which was presented as an extended abstract at EDUCONGRESS 2022 (International Education Congress) on 18.11.2022. Introduction Design thinking (DT), an interdisciplinary, iterative, and human-centered problem-solving approach, is utilized for multiple purposes in education, such as curriculum design, learning environment design, and improving students’ skills (Öztürk, & Korkut, 2022) . The use of DT in K-12 education has recently gained popularity in Türkiye. In the 2023 education vision report of the Türkiye Ministry of National Education (MONE), the statement on the establishment of “Design Skill Workshops”(named “Tasarım Beceri Atölyeleri” in Turkish) in all educational institutions draws attention. These workshops aim to provide DT and STEM/STEAM education (Türkiye’s Education Vision 2023 report, n. d. ) . Furthermore, under the framework of the National Technology Initiative in Türkiye, cooperation has been made to establish the “Experimental Technology Workshops”(named “Deneyap Teknoloji Atölyeleri” in Turkish) in 81 cities. The Design and Production course to be given in these workshops intends to educate the students within the framework of the DT approach (Deneyap, n.d. ) . Books were also published through MONE to disseminate the DT approach in national education and to support STEM and STEAM education (Karataş et al., 2021; Aksoyet al., 2020) . Additionally, while the literature predominantly comprises various systematic literature reviews, bibliometric analyses, and extensive research and applications on articles related to the DT approach (Lin et al., 2025; Li, & Zhan, 2022), there is a dearth of publications providing comparative analyses or reviews of DT bo

FAQs

What is the main goal of the research on design thinking in education?

The study investigates how the DT approach in education is defined and implemented in books published by Turkish public institutions, comparing and evaluating those books to understand DT’s application in education.

How was the data collected and analyzed?

The research used a qualitative document analysis method, selecting seven books published by Türkiye’s Ministry of National Education (MONE) and TÜBİTAK.

What gaps does the research identify in how DT is addressed in the books?

The books often under-emphasize how to develop a designer’s mindset and skills among non-designers such as teachers and students, and DT is not commonly presented as a holistic approach connecting processes, mindsets, and tools.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by OmBimo