The Role Stress Has on the Creative Process of Problem-Solving Projects: A Case Study of Individuals and Collaboration

This study examined interior design and fashion merchandising students because they creatively solve everyday consumer problems and employers competitively screen graduates for their creative and collaborative abilities. Students in these fields not only have to fulfill course requirements, but they also must exhibit a high level of creativity and be able to work with others. To examine the influence stress may have on the creative process of problem-solving, students working alone were compared to students working in teams. From this central focus, the study explored three research questions (RQ). RQ1 asked if stress is more likely to occur when students work alone as opposed to working in teams. RQ 2 pertained to what parts of the design process are stressful when working on a team as well as what parts are stressful when working alone. RQ3 dealt with how students deal with stress when working alone, and how do they deal with it when working on a team. The research study employed a mixed methods approach involving an online 29 questions survey developed by the researcher that asked students to rank their perceptions using a five-point Likert scale. At the end of the online survey students answered one open-ended question that captured students’ perceptions of stress. The outcomes indicated that individuals working alone and in teams had specific stress indicators at different points throughout the problem-solving assignments. Additionally, the study showed the value of social connectivity and freedom to select team members.