Reframing studio assessment: a staged evidence approach in interior architecture education

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

Introduction In studio-based higher education, the final jury often becomes the most visible indicator of student achievement, while the process-based evidence produced during the semester remains less explicit. This study examines how a staged assessment sequence can provide a more traceable basis for interpreting learning-related performance in an interior architecture graduation studio. Methods The study used an embedded mixed-method single-case design. Data were drawn from one graduation studio cohort of 25 students and included stage-based assessment records, analytic rubrics, institutional course documents, and anonymized student products. Quantitative analysis examined descriptive stage patterns, repeated-measures differences, and Spearman correlations between process indicators and the final jury. Qualitative analysis examined which conceptual, spatial, technical, and representational dimensions became visible through different evidence sources and assessment stages. Results Performance became more concentrated across the semester. Mean scores increased from 2.42 at the preparatory submission to 3.14 at the final jury, while standard deviation decreased from 0.84 to 0.55. The overall stage pattern was statistically significant, χ ²(6) = 56.83, p < .001, Kendall's W = .38. Correlations between prior process indicators and the final jury were strong, ranging from ρ = .76 for the preparatory submission to ρ = .98 for the final submission. The final submission and final jury also showed 96% exact grade agreement. Discussion The findings show that a staged assessment architecture can make studio performance more transparent, differentiated, and defensible by connecting preparatory work, sketches, interim submissions, final project materials, oral defense, and the final jury. The study contributes a practical and methodological model for documenting how complex, process-based performance can be interpreted through a traceable chain of assessment evidence.