A Study on the Effects of NCS-Based Design Education on Learners’ Educational Satisfaction and Self-Esteem

In South Korea, various vocational training institutions and private academies have implemented NCS-based(National Competency Standards) design education to strengthen practice-oriented training and foster professional design talent. This type of education is structured to help learners develop practical design competencies and systematically acquire job-related skills in preparation for employment. With the acceleration of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and digital transformation, the design industry increasingly demands creative and problem-solving professionals. Accordingly, design education in vocational institutions is evolving beyond a function-centered approach to encompass learners' emotional growth and the overall quality of educational experience. While NCS-based education offers the advantage of standardized, job-centered curricula to ensure educational quality, there remains a lack of empirical analysis regarding its impact on learners’ psychological and emotional outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to empirically analyze the effects of the components of NCS-based design education on learners’ educational satisfaction and self-esteem. The components examined include teaching methods, instructional design, instructor, empathy, and responsiveness. A survey was conducted among learners participating in NCS-based design education programs at vocational training institutions, and the collected data were analyzed using SmartPLS 4.0. The results are as follows: first, teaching methods had a significant impact on educational satisfaction; second, instructional design and the instructor also showed positive effects; third, empathy and responsiveness were found to significantly influence satisfaction; and fourth, educational satisfaction significantly affected self-esteem. This study suggests that NCS-based design education in vocational settings can contribute positively to learners’ emotional outcomes and highlights the importance of incorporating emotional factors into future instructional design.