Developing and Validating the AI Readiness and 21st-Century Skills Scale for Industry 5.0 (AIRS-5.0): Initial Evidence from Architecture Design Education in Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17959675Keywords:
Industry 5.0, 21st-century skills, AI literacy, Architecture Education, Scale DevelopmentAbstract
Purpose: This study develops and provides pilot validation for the AI Readiness and 21st-Century Skills Scale for Industry 5.0 (AIRS-5.0), a multi-dimensional instrument designed to measure how traditional architecture curriculum and AI literacy equip graduates with Industry 5.0 readiness through AI-enabled 21st-century skills.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The scale integrates four core constructs: 21st-century skills acquired through traditional curriculum (TC_21C), AI Literacy (AILS), AI-Enabled 21st-Century Skills (AI_21C), and Industry 5.0 Readiness (IR5). Following expert review and iterative refinement, the 91-item instrument was pilot-tested among 33 final-year architecture students and 14 thesis tutors from ten PCATP-accredited institutions. SPSS v26 and PROCESS Macro Model 4 were used to test reliability and preliminary mediation analyses. Given the small sample size, the findings are exploratory and not intended for generalization.
Findings: Results obtained were extremely promising with excellent internal reliability (Cronbach ? = 0.95 – 0.99). However, the high MIIC values (above 0.60) outlined some risk of redundancy. AI Literacy (AILS) emerged as the strongest predictor of Industry 5.0 readiness (? = 0.67, p < 0.001), while the mediational effect of AI_21C, a novel construct, was insignificant. Tutors’ assessment of students’ readiness across major AI-related constructs were significantly lower than students’ self-reported values, highlighting a gap in AI engagement perception. Overall, the findings validate the scale’s structure as well as its potential to articulate pedagogical gaps in AI integration across architecture curriculum.
Implications/Originality/Value: The AIRS-5.0 scale provides a holistic foundation for mapping AI readiness and 21C competencies in design education. By linking architectural pedagogy, AI literacy, and Industry 5.0’s human-centric ethos, the study offers a rare empirical framework for guiding curriculum reform, faculty development, and institutional AI integration in creative disciplines.
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