Psychological associations between perceived generative AI-supported learning and creative design performance in vocational design education: a within-course correlational study.
5 affiliations
- 1Design College, Jinhua University of Vocational Technology, Jinhua, China.
- 2Faculty of Design and Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
- 3College of Design and Innovation, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.
- 4Psychological Counseling Center, Jinhua University of Vocational Technology, Jinhua, China.
- 5College of Education, Wenzhou-Kean University, Wenzhou, China.
Abstract
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly used in design courses, but evidence remains limited on how students' appraisal of such support co-varies with domain cognition, creative confidence, engagement, and independently assessed creative work. This within-course correlational study examined within-course change and theory-specified contemporaneous associations in a 72-h Furniture Appreciation and Selection course involving 150 vocational design students in China. Sustainable design cognition and creative self-efficacy were measured before and after the course; perceived GenAI-supported learning and learning engagement were measured after it; and final creative design performance was rated independently by three experts. Paired-samples t tests described within-course change. Item-level CFA preceded the score-level association analyses, while standardized composite-score ordinary least squares models and 10,000-resample percentile bootstrap confidence intervals summarized theory-specified post-course associations and coefficient products. Sustainable design cognition increased from 3.326 to 3.792, t (149) = 10.362, p < 0.001, dz = 0.846, and creative self-efficacy increased from 3.509 to 3.877, t (149) = 7.424, p < 0.001, dz = 0.606; these values indicate change during the course as a whole rather than a GenAI-specific intervention effect. Among the direct post-course associations, learning engagement showed the largest coefficient with expert-rated creative design performance (β = 0.515, p < 0.001; f² = 0.361). The theory-specified coefficient products were 0.076 for SDC-CSE-LE, 0.204 for CSE-LE-CP, and 0.0080 for AISL-SDC-CSE-LE-CP. The last interval narrowly excluded zero [0.0002, 0.0234], but the product was statistically detectable and negligible in magnitude. Because the study followed one cohort without a comparison condition and most model variables were measured at the same post-course occasion, the findings support within-course change and contemporaneous association, not causal or temporally ordered effects.
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BibTeX
@article{xu2026psychological,
title = {{Psychological associations between perceived generative AI-supported learning and creative design performance in vocational design education: a within-course correlational study.}},
author = {Xiaoping Xu and Chenhui Wang and Shuangyan Fu and Jiawei Tong and Dian Jin},
journal = {Frontiers in psychology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1962146},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908914},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Psychological associations between perceived generative AI-supported learning and creative design performance in vocational design education: a within-course correlational study.
AU - Xiaoping Xu
AU - Chenhui Wang
AU - Shuangyan Fu
AU - Jiawei Tong
AU - Dian Jin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Frontiers in psychology
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1962146
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908914
AB - Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly used in design courses, but evidence remains limited on how students' appraisal of such support co-varies with domain cognition, creative confidence, engagement, and independently assessed creative work. This within-course correlational study examined within-course change and theory-specified contemporaneous associations in a 72-h Furniture Appreciation and Selection course involving 150 vocational design students in China. Sustainable design cognition and creative self-efficacy were measured before and after the course; perceived GenAI-supported learning and learning engagement were measured after it; and final creative design performance was rated independently by three experts. Paired-samples t tests described within-course change. Item-level CFA preceded the score-level association analyses, while standardized composite-score ordinary least squares models and 10,000-resample percentile bootstrap confidence intervals summarized theory-specified post-course associations and coefficient products. Sustainable design cognition increased from 3.326 to 3.792, t (149) = 10.362, p < 0.001, dz = 0.846, and creative self-efficacy increased from 3.509 to 3.877, t (149) = 7.424, p < 0.001, dz = 0.606; these values indicate change during the course as a whole rather than a GenAI-specific intervention effect. Among the direct post-course associations, learning engagement showed the largest coefficient with expert-rated creative design performance (β = 0.515, p < 0.001; f² = 0.361). The theory-specified coefficient products were 0.076 for SDC-CSE-LE, 0.204 for CSE-LE-CP, and 0.0080 for AISL-SDC-CSE-LE-CP. The last interval narrowly excluded zero [0.0002, 0.0234], but the product was statistically detectable and negligible in magnitude. Because the study followed one cohort without a comparison condition and most model variables were measured at the same post-course occasion, the findings support within-course change and contemporaneous association, not causal or temporally ordered effects.
SN - 1664-1078
ER -