Transcribing data

My research will be action orientated within my preschool classroom. With the findings and data I intend to gather, I would make changes to my practice and inform other teachers and child care givers of the importance in regard to art and fostering literacy in young children. As an adult listens, makes thoughtful inquiries and talks with children about their artwork the child is learning to verbally communicate through their artistic expressions. The technique I will use to collect data will be observation and transcribing dialogue of children as they respond to art with teacher lead cues. 

Non verbal communication will also be noticed and documented along with my own responses. Bakhtin’s concept of human nature is based on dialogue. We are the conversations that we have externally and internally. We understand human thought by exposing the conversations and psychology of the mind. “Our conversations do not occur in a vacuum “(Moen, 2006, p.58). After doing the pilot study, I can see that the conversations with children are multilayer-ed.  It is wise to digitally record the conversations in order to capture all the sounds and nuances of the dialogue. Through the pilot study I became aware of the time it takes to listen and trasnscribe a five miniute conversation. Making choices on what to include and what to leave out according to what I want to prove is difficult. 

“Looking through one lens cannot be isolated from the act of looking through another” (McCormack, 2001, p.314).  The McCormack article From Interview Transcript to Interpretive Story: Part 2- Developing an Interpretive Story, gives a view of approaches toward a research narrative that can be interpreted with multiple lenses.

Writing a narrative from a transcript should include the multiple lens of the narrative process which includes his/her use of the spoken language, the context of the participant, and the moments or situations that reflects an emotion or attitude. By analyzing specific codes of the conversation, we can build a clear, rich and more accurate voice of the participant.  There are meanings that can be conveyed in a conversation in respect to the context that brought the participant to the study, the manner or hesitancy in the voice or the silence in response to questioning. As a researcher I am interested in the phenomenon of children fostering their literacy through art and the structure in which it takes place. I also have to be cognizant of the individual child’s manner and developmental stages.  Most preschool children are open and are naturally inquisitive and will respond in inquiry.  Yet there are children that are very shy, and one wrong question from the teacher can send them away without a word. Trial and error is also valuable information.Are the children merely responding to me because I am their teacher?  I realize that when I encourage the activity of paint a picture, the children may use my idea to begin, but, soon thereafter a child my switches gears and begin to create from their own imaginings. This shows how the child constructs knowledge. 

Action research is the methodology I will use for further investigation. The research is fluid, transdisiplinary and heuristic as I focus my attention to children's literacy.

 

Moen, T. (2006). Reflections on the narrative research approach. International Journal of Qualitative

     Methodology, 5(4), 1-11.

May, W. (1993). “Teachers-as-researchers" or action research: What is it, and what good is it for art

     education? Studies in Art Education, 34(2), 114-126.

McCormack, C. (2001). From interview transcript to interpretive story: Part 2— Developing an

      interpretive story. Field Methods, 12(4), 298-315.

Smith Koroscik, J., & Kowalchuk, E. (1997). Reading and interpreting research journal

       articles. In S. D. L. Pierre & E. Zimmerman (Eds.), Research methods and

       methodologies for art education (pp. 75-102). Reston, VA: National Art Education

       Association.

Research Map Update

Uh, oh... we're not in Kansas anymore, toto.

The lights are coming on, as understanding dawns.

Research Reflection Week 6

This week has been the first week that I feel like I understand what we are doing, and why we are doing it. I wish I could have had this feeling earlier in the class, but know that this happened for a reason, just as all things do. I do know that my project will be a case study of the Colquitt-Miller Arts Council to discover the ways that an arts council can support community revitalization. I chose this arts council because it was 1) successful in revitalizing its community through the art and 2) is similar in size, cultural make-up, and economy as my own hometown and 3) I have already formed a relationship with them and hope to visit them in February. I will use what I learn from studying this successful arts council in my own town’s newly formed arts council in hopes of having the same successes. I will be using interview, literature research, and survey as my data collection methods, with interviews being the primary instrument.

There is little literature concerning arts councils, so I have had to be very creative in my search. This search has taken me from the usual ‘art can affect a community’ to the ‘affects of mission statements on nonprofit organizations.’ When I first started this project, I considered an arts council just a group that provided the community with art programs. Through this discovery process, I have realized that to be a successful arts council you must realize the needs and desires of your community and use this knowledge to plan relevant arts opportunities in order to create the type of involvement that may result in RESULTS! This week (as a result of my pilot study) I have discovered the importance of a mission statement, as well as the importance of the elements found within it. I have discovered, as a result of the pilot study, that the heart of an arts council’s purpose should be creating community engagement through relevant arts programming.

I know for sure that one article that made an impact on me during this course was the one by Koroscik & Kowalchuk (1997). I’ve had to pull this article out several times in order to decode several of the other articles that I just didn’t understand. There advice to question everything we read is a good motto to have while conducting research. I also found Stockrocki’s (1997) article extremely useful in helping me to understand the basics of qualitative research. Isn’t it funny that both of the articles I chose were written in a step-by-step way? Simple is better!

Smith Koroscik, J., & Kowalchuk, E. (1997). Reading and interpreting research journal articles. In S. D. L. Pierre & E. Zimmerman (Eds.), Research methods and methodologies for art education (pp. 75-102). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.


Stokrocki, M. (1997). Qualitative forms of research methods. In S. D. Pierre, & E. Zimmerman (Eds.). Research methods and methodologies for art education (pp.33-56). Reston, VA: NAEA

lesson 6

I have reviewed my resources and how they relate to my topic, which deals with motivation in the arts curriculum, with which I will be involving my middle school students. A lot of my research deals with this type of motivation. Within the research I have collected facts about the positive motivation that takes place within an arts curriculum and how it affects the students and teachers.

Motivation is the key to my research and with reading about this I discovered that there are two types of motivation. They are: intrinsic (something that is enjoyed and the individual is motivated to do the task at hand) or extrinsic (the individual needs an incentive to want to be motivated). After identifying these two types and looking at documentation I learned that not all motivation is self -motivation. Some motivation comes from the teachers and them being able to know their students and be passionate about the subject they are teaching. This helps with making the students motivated and eager to learn the material as well. Teachers can have a large impact on students if the students feel comfortable in the environment as well. The students are more likely not to worry about self-esteem issues and they are able to express themselves in their work and enjoy working on the assignments; they tend to retain more of the information. Within all the studies creativity, self-esteem, and self-expression were key elements in the area of motivating students in the arts and what often makes the art environment different from the student’s core classes. In an era where standardized tests seem to be taking over the classrooms, enrollment within the arts curriculum has proven to be an important avenue for students in the raising of their test scores. On the down side, there is also the opinion that the arts are seen as the “fun” classes and that classes that focus on strictly obtaining the highest FCAT scores should be the priority. As art teachers we know that the arts have an impact on the whole student and that some of the information they are learning will be able to be carried over to their core classes. Students in art classes can improve their skills in creative thinking, higher order questioning, as well as mental, physical, and social opportunities to be creative in the classroom. In some studies, this has been shown, but not enough research has been done for full verification. This is important research to continue so that teachers, parents and students can have more support in advocating for the inclusion of the arts curriculum and in showing the community how art positively affects the student’s motivation in ANY subject matter.

The two articles that I also included, from this class (so far), are those discussing the National Arts Education Association and Evans-Palmers’ The Potency of Humor. Palmers talked about the importance of reducing the stress in the classroom for teachers and suggested that humor will help you relieve this stress. Humor helps with keeping students engaged in the class, not just in the class but also on what is being taught. Being able to communicate with your students is important and can keep the students motivated and wanting to come back for more. The NAEA article talks about getting the community involved, being an advocate for the arts, and the focus on learning and being an effective educator. This all will hopefully be achieved with the final product. My goal is that with surveying and interviewing my students and looking at all the data that is collected, it will show that the students are motivated by taking classes with an arts curriculum and this by sharing this information it will then be a basis for others to join me in supporting these programs.

Beveridge, T. (2010). No Child Left Behind and Fine Arts classes (111th ed., p. 4-7). Longview, WA: Arts Education Policy Review.

Crossman, A. (2010). Equipping Students to Succeed In and Beyond the Classroom. Reston, VA: NASSP Leading Schools. Retrieved November 1, 2011, from http://www.nassp.org/tabid/3788/default.aspx?topic=Equipping_Students_to_Succeed_In_and_Beyond_the_Classroom

Evens-Palmer, T. (2010). The potency of humor . and Instructional Self-Efficacy on Art Teacher Stress , 52(1), 69-83.

Gazzaniga, PH.D., M. (2008). Learning, Arts, and the Brain; The Dana Consortium Report on Arts and Cognition (pp. 71-129). N.p.: Dana Press.

Glass, Ph.D, D. (2008). The Contours of Inclusion: Frameworks and Tools for Evaluating Arts in Educaiton (pp. 1-44). N.p.: VSA Arts. Retrieved November 1, 2011, from www.vsarts.org

Garvis, S. (2009). Improve the teaching of the arts: Pre-service teacher self -efficacy towards art education. US-China Education Review, 6(12), 23-28.

Heilig, J., Cole, H., & Aguliar, A. (2010). From Dewey to No Child Left Behind: The Evolution and Devolution of Public Arts Education (111th ed., Vol. 4, pp. 136-145). Austin, TX: Arts Education Policy Review.

Isreal, D. (2009). Stay in School. Arts Education and New York City High School Graduation Rates, 2-26. Retrieved November 1, 2009, from www.caenyc.org/Staying-in-School/Arts-and-Graduation-Report

Jones, B. (2009). Motivating Students to Engage in Learning: The MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation (Vols. 21 - 2, pp. 272-285). N.p.: International Journal of Teaching and Learning.

Loveless, T. (2009). How Well Are American Students Learning? (Vols. 11 - 4, pp. 3-32). Huston, TX: The Brown Foundation, Inc.

NAEA Research Commission. (2009). Creating a visual arts education research agenda for the 21st century: Encouraging individual and collaborative research. National Art Education Association.

Rabkin, N. (2002). Connections between Education in the Arts and Student Achievement (3rd ed., Vol. 13, pp. 1-8). Seattle, WA: GIA Reader.

Ruppert, S. "Critical Evidence." How the ARTS Benefit Student Achievement (2006): 01-20. Arts Education Partnership. National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. Web. 22 Nov. 2011. .

Russonello, B., & Stewart, . (2005). To Educate the Whole Child, Integrate the Arts (pp. 1-96). N.p.: The Ford Foundation and Douglas Gould & Company.

Zakaras, L., & Lowell, J. (2008). Cultivating Demand for the Arts, Arts Learning, Arts Engagement, and State arts Policy (pp. xiii-150). N.p.: Research In The Arts.

What impressed me the most.

My research has taken me through many interesting reading about community-based art education and libraries. Even though I work in a library and have frequented libraries my whole life, I didn’t know much about libraries’ history. I read a great article about the future of libraries by Frey. This articles makes us reflect about the future of printed books and consequently the future of libraries. If printed books are phasing out, will library be reduced too online only? Libraries are moving more and more towards online databases, buying less books, CDs, DVDs… Frey suggests that libraries move towards a cultural center for the community (which has been like that in some countries). It takes into perspective something that we often forget and it’s how much our world is changing. It’s happening so fast, we hardly get a chance to adapt. As our world change, so are the institutions surrounding us and their purpose in our society. Libraries are mainly a source of information; librarians are now called information specialists, since their main role is to find information for patrons (or customers) not just finding books.
Another resource I found interesting was a book called Histories of Community-Based Art Education by Congdon & Boughton. This book is a collection of chapters written by many scholars talking about different aspect of community-based art education and how they came about. It was a view on community-based art education I had never seen or read about before. One chapter in particular attracted my attention with a connection with library “crafts” program: Kit crafts and the people who make them: A history of pre-packaged pedagogy since 1930 by Agostinone-Wilson. The author recalls how “craft” has changed over the years with pre-made kits allowing anybody to be able to make something (paint by numbers, scrapbooking, model cars…). She also mentions how before pre-packaged kits came about, an artist or crafter had to make mix their glue, paints and were more involve with the process. If we think of a quilter who used to create their own patterns and stitch by hand (or machine), as now you can buy a machine that quilts for you by following a pattern you buy; or embroiders filigree initials in fabric. Should we consider them crafters? Did the term “craft” changed over the years and doesn’t represent what it used to?
As for the articles we read over the semester two really resonated with me and left me thinking and wondering. One was about qualitative research results presented as poetry and drama play: Poetics, dramatics, and transgressive validity: The case of the skipped line by Richardson. The other was The potency of humor and instructional self-efficacy on art teacher stress by Evans Palmer. Both articles enlighten me in ways research can take place and how we can display our results. I might not use these methods for this particular research, but it opens up a variety of creative options. Art educators being creative people, I wonder how come we haven’t had more creative outcomes from researches.

Congdon, K. G., & Boughton, D. (Eds.). (1998). Advances in program
evaluation: Vol. 4. Evaluating art education programs in community centers: international perspectives on problems. Greenwich, Conn: JAI.
Evans-Palmer, T. (2010). The potency of humor and instructional self-efficacy on
art teacher stress. Studies in Art Education, 52(1), 69-83.

Frey, T. & Sloan, T.(2010). Newsmaker: The future of libraries: Interview with
Thomas Frey. American Libraries, 41(8), 21.
Richardson, L. (1993). Poetics, dramatics, and transgressive validity: The case of
the skipped line. Sociological Quarterly, 34(4), 695-710.

Research Reflection Week 6

I am finally starting to see an area of focus for my Capstone Project. Although in it’s infancy, I am beginning to feel like it is doable. The research section is a bit intimidating still, for example I have formulate two questions to ask three people for my Pilot Study. Already one person has pointed out the errors in wording of the questions, how the can be interpreted and what I need to do to clarify how I am asking. At this point, my proposal will be to research and develop a tool for art teachers to use to assist in meeting specific criteria for classroom observations. Even though good teaching is good teaching, different content areas have specific traits, characteristics for teaching strategies. Also, there are multiple ways of teaching well, the same content area, but different strategies. My task is to acknowledge several of these and list them in some form of a flip chart as a suggestion for evaluators to ‘see’ what an art teacher might demonstrate in order to meet a particular benchmark. These suggestions will not be the only way, only meant to assist.
Action research is making sense to me at this point. This entire program we are undertaking is action research. It is the only reason I am taking on this MAE program, to be a better teacher. There is not job interest for me. Additional pay will mean teach almost 10 just to recover the tuition, but this program is such a good ‘action research’ project to be better. My proposal will be action research in a way that utilized qualitative data gathered to arrive at a conclusion, or most likely and temporary ending, with further development needed. Has anyone else experienced this type of mental exercise? This course is the most difficult thus far in this program. As with others, I have at least 25-30 hours each week, but all of a sudden, the mold is making and I can see the direction that I need to go.

(Blogspot is being a bully to Andrea this week, so here is Andrea's reflection posted by Leslie).

Patty's Week 6 Reflection

My research topic will be visual culture and its influence on the perception of identity. I plan to use qualitative research methods and observe, interview, have casual conversation and document the work of students enrolled in a high school AP art studio program. The students are in the process of creating portfolios for an AP art concentration. It is my belief that the creation of art work is a deeply personal experience and is intrinsically tied to self identity. I wish to discover if the creation of these portfolios is influenced by visual culture and how visual culture influences the perception of identity.

The reading from this course that has been the most beneficial for me so far was, Using Participatory Visual Ethnography to Explore Young People's Use of Visual Material Culture in Place and Space, (Eglinton, K. A. 2008). Reading this article made me realize what my research needed to focus on; visual culture and identity. The blog prompt asks to mention at least two articles from the readings that have been helpful in my research, and I'd like to be able to credit another one, but I cannot. Each week we learn about another process, method, approach, etc., and each week more terms just combine in my head with no real understanding or connection to the big picture. This is not a good feeling for me. I suppose I need to create my own map of how these terms and methods fit together. I certainly need to research other articles on these topics.

Articles that have been helpful in my research topic such as Amburgy (2011), Freedman (2003), Chung (2007), Kiefer-Boyd, Amburgy & Knight (2003), have been excavated by me or suggested by Leslie, and include content that connects visual culture, deconstruction (a theory of criticism that seeks to uncover contradictions in a work by looking for meanings that lie beneath the surface), and identity. These articles provide me with reassurance that I am not exploring an entirely new territory with little hope for survival, but rather making my own route on an existing one.

Amburgy, P. (2011). Diversity, pedagogy, and visual culture. Art Education, 64(5), 6-11.

Chung, S. K. (2007). Media/visual literacy art education; Sexism in Hip-hop music videos. Art Education, 60(3), 33-38.

Elington, K. A. (2008). Using participatory visual ethnography to explore young people's use of visual material culture in place and space. In R. Hickman (Ed.). Research in Art and Design Education (51-66). Chicago, IL; Intellect Books. Retrieved from http://issuu.com/eliffa/docs/research_art_and_design_education

Freedman, K. (2003). The importance of student artistic production to teaching visual culture. Art Education, 56(2), 38-43.

Keifer_Boyd, K., Amburgy, P. M. & Knight, W. B. (2003). Three approaches to teaching visual culture in k-12 school contexts. Art Education, 56(2), 44.51

Reflecting

Since being in this class and reading the articles, studies, and essays we have been assigned, I have become more clear in my understanding of research and what I plan to do for my capstone project. So far, I have found that what would work best for me is the qualitative research method because I will be studying human behavior using a various types of collection methods such as observation, artworks, interviews, and journaling. The reading I found that helped me most in deciding this wa Qualitative forms of research methods (Stokrocki, 1997). All these data collection methods will be beneficial for my study where I will be trying to find if expressive art activities are beneficial for helping students relieve stress. I also found that I will most likely be doing action research as part of the larger art education community working to improve our own practices as educators for the good of our students. I have found from Teachers-as-researchers" or action research: What is it, and what good is it for art education? (May, 1993), that action research is the best way for me to go for my capstone project. I feel my capstone project will benefit art education as a whole, my individual practice, and my students overall mental well-being.

May, W. (1993). “Teachers-as-researchers" or action research: What is it, and what good is it for art education? Studies in Art Education, 34(2), 114-126.

Stokrocki, M. (1997). Qualitative forms of research methods. In S. D. La Pierre, & E. Zimmerman (Eds.). Research methods and methodologies for art education (pp. 33-56). Reston, VA: NAEA.

Janice

Social Learning Theory, Creativity, and the Needs of 21st Century Learners

At times I feel my thesis topic is trying to cover too much; that I am trying to include every single piece of this puzzle of teaching. Yet when I think of teaching--teaching art and moving from student to student, I need to be able to change worlds; to slide between subjects at the drop of a hat. I have to be the most flexible and the most compassionate person in the room. Anything and everything can happen in the art room; I often say art involves everything else in the world, plus itself. Metaphors, associations, experiences can go in any given direction and need to be recognized and articulated on the spot. Therefore, it isn't out of the question that a thesis would be as all-encompassing as the practice it reflects.

My methods will be a bit of everything, too---part argument for the relationship between social learning theory and creativity, part critical action social research in my classroom for advocating the importance of creative dispositions, and part tying all this together with the projected needs of twenty-first century learners. Through voicing and shaping interviews, I also want to tell the tale of learning from the students point of view, because I am wondering: if students aren't aware of their learning, have I done as good a job as I maybe could do? I'm thinking a lot about consciousness.

I was talking to a student the other day, and I was trying to give a lot of verbal encouragement. Somewhere in my head I recalled the words--along the line of--

give verbal encouragement with a suggestion for a possible route forward, and then walk away. Don't hover, let the student absorb this and take it forward herself. I can distinctly remember thinking this as I talked to the student, but I couldn't recall where the words came from. Were they from one of the many articles I was reading? Did I hear them in a dream? I have the strange feeling it was a dream. Finally--finally--I feel it happening. The interest in the work is taking over. Life and work are merging with the creative project--the writing and the teaching.

Portraiture or not Week 6

As I get into writing about my pilot study, I wanted to examine what truly makes a portraiture case study. Sarah Lawrence Lightfoot (1997) writes about it as if the researcher is a narrator to a story, or an artist capturing a portrait of an individual. And, that the researcher is personally involved in interpreting the people and their stories while also adding their personal touch to it. I raised a dyslexic child, which gives me a unique empathic perspective that I can contribute to my research and I have a great rapport with the students and their families. This research project and my personal connection to these students permit me to contribute my matchless representation of them.

Redefining Case Study by VanWynsberghe, R., & Khan, S. (2007) clarified what a case study was for me. All of these terms this class has seemed so foreign to me, but this article made sense. I need to go through the process to determine what type of research I am doing. I realized that for what I was trying to accomplish, which is to find out whether the artistic process does indeed assists dyslexic students to communicate their ideas better, I was on the right track with ethnographic design, although a sub-category of portraiture case study was pretty much right on the money, I think, I hope. And, the methods of collecting data would be through interviews, personal journaling or interpretations, student art-making and writings. The assessment is through words not tables and charts.

Lawrence-Lightfoot, S., & Hoffmann Davis, J. The art and science of portraiture. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

VanWynsberghe, R., & Khan, S. (2007). Redefining case study. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 4(6), 80-94.

map for week six

Choice-based Centers & Design Thinking

I plan on changing my art classroom to the art studio next year. My curriculum is going to choice-based centers starting third quarter of school in mid January. I have two classes for each grade K-8. Next I am planning on introducing the big idea how artists can make a difference in the world.Students will be introduced to two artists for exploring and analyzing their work. Students will discuss what they could do to make a difference with their art. I am going to implement design thinking into one class out of the two. I want to see if there are variances in creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, engagement and performance. Daily journal, photos, reflections, field trip,artworks, prototypes.

Porter's Research Map

There has been some actual understanding happening in the Porter brain. You may not be able to tell by the map, but it's in there.

categorize

Every week I read new articles or someone mentions research based articles that show alternative ways to gather and interpret data. The Silverman (2007) article was enlightening in how he used categories to quantify is data he retrieved from journals. After getting past the brilliant idea of using postcards to investigate place, history and language development, I focused on how this can be determined.  He chose the four elements of aesthetics, inquiry, creative process and interdisciplinary dialogue and empathy. (2007, p.18)  After the class conducted inquiry, discussions, art making (to connect to the student) and journaling, the teacher collected this data. He used emergent information to categorize his findings into the four groups. Silverman based his narrative on this data which gives validity to his research.

I believe I can do the same in my research on young children’s conversations about art. I would have to record or journal their words, but then I could see what themes emerge in order to categorize or search for themes that reflect aesthetic learning.  

Silverman, J. (2007). Postcards from another's home: Visual dialogues for cultural tolerance. Art Education, 60(6), 17-23.

Patty's Reflection for Week 5

It took a while, but I had somewhat of an Ah Ha! moment this week when I realized the purpose of the readings was not the narrative but the way the research was conducted. Ok. I admit I can be slow in some cases and eight-week courses don't help the matter. I read Evans-Palmer(2010) not because I was interested in anything other than the title; feeling a bit stressed out myself I wondered what, if anything, in this article could help me. Because my research project deals with critical thinking, I read Lampert(2006) for the same reasons stated above: what in this article could help me with my research? What I found was that both articles used quantitative methods as the main tool for gathering data. What was confirmed was my apathy towards this method of research. It's not that I don't think it is useful, I just have a hard time reading the findings because they are usually presented in a manner that bores me. Admittedly, Evans-Palmer(2010) has found a way to make reading her research palatable, even humorous. It wasn't until my critical friend called to suggest I read Maitland-Gholson & Ettinger (1994) that the idea of using mixed methods actually clicked for me. It doesn't have to be all or none, but I think using a qualitative method is still the best format for me. Here we are in week 5 and I am still stumbling on terminology which makes me think I need to develop a matrix of sorts to keep it all straight. Prompted to ponder what research questions have yet to be answered, I find myself slipping into a dark hole. I'm not sure what hasn't been answered, but it seems like an overwhelming amount of research to be done, in a very short amount of time, just to figure that part out.

Evans-Palmer, T. (2010). The potency of humor and self-efficacy on art teacher stress. Studies in Art Education, 52(1), 69-83.

Lampert, N. (2006). Critical thinking dispositions as an outcome of art education. Studies in Art Education, 47(3), 215-228.

Maitland-Gholson, J. & Ettinger, L.F (1994). Interpretive decision making in research. Studies in Art Education, 36(1), 18-27.

Goldstein-Research Blog Lesson 5

I believe that I will be able to prove, through mostly mixed research methods, that the arts curriculum has a positive impact on student’s grades, test scores, attendance, and discipline violations. I am still in the process of securing more resources, but it appears that there is sufficient research to support my claim. I will be utilizing surveys and conducting interviews with my students, parents and teachers. I will also be looking at documents referenced previously (grades, test scores, attendance and discipline records). I hope to be able to present this to my administration and other teachers and parents to disprove the belief that the art curriculum is not just filled with “fun classes” and should not be considered to be a “dumping ground” for lower academic level students to fulfill academic goals. The skills taught within the arts curriculum strengthens a student’s self esteem as well as their reading and writing skills. The skills they learn within the arts extend the support to their other academic class requirements, which (in turn) increase the student’s test scores as well.

A potential flaw would be if the interview forms and permission slips are not all returned in the time requested, if at all. The honesty in which my interview questions are responded to could also be somewhat questioned, but I am hoping that if someone agrees to be a part of my project, it is because they realize that valid responses are their responsibility. I am limited in the scope of those who will be involved in my study, as I only have access to the population within the Middle School I teach at. Another thing is maybe looking at a handful of students that I don’t actually have as students and perhaps relating that to the study as well. I just don’t know if that would be beneficial and how I might approach or incorporate that angle.

What is missing from previous studies? In looking at some of the research on this topic, I have not found any specific research from a student’s point of view, which is what I am incorporating into my study.

Right now, I think that my research questions have been answered. I think that with more research and with getting my documentation complete with all the data then my answers will be complete. At this point, it’s all a hypotheses.

The research method I have chosen is the mixed method of research. I will be giving students a survey with open-ended questions and then pulling some of those students for interviews. The focus is on collecting and analyzing the information.

Research Reflection Week #5

The one thing that was glaringly evident as I attempted to search for articles and previous research about local arts councils was that there wasn’t much of anything to find. How the arts can be used to heal, or produce change has been researched, but the effect of an arts council on a local community has not. I also noticed that although everyone understands the power of the arts on a community, who is going to be responsible for making the decisions as to what art programs should be used for this particular community? Not all communities are the same – what will work for one town may not work for another. This decision needs to come from within the community. This should be the function of an arts council.

This underdeveloped area in research was also evident in an article by Duxbury (2011), in Small Cities Imprint, that mentions, “Within the community, the arts may not have a prominent status or widespread appreciation…” This problem could be helped by the focusing arm of a community arts council that was made up of members of the community. Who better to know of the interests and needs of a community than the members of that community? Many arts programs are organized and carried out by forces that are outside the community who know nothing of the personal interests of the community.

One article by Jeremy Nowak (2008), who discusses the central role of the creative sector within neighborhood revitalization, opened up an area that was of interest to me. He mentions, “There is a gap in the literature and research about the creative sector and distressed communities.” He discusses how most of the research has been on the effect of arts organizations and urban development, but very little has been on the effect of the creative sector on distressed communities.

Nowak, J. (2008). Distressed places and creativity. GIA Reader, 19(3), 7-21.

Duxbury, N. & Campbell, H. (2011). Developing and revitalizing rural communities through arts and culture. Small Cities Imprint, 3(1), 111-122.

Research Reflection; What's Done and What's Not

There is a lot of research per se on social learning theory: Vygotsky, Bandura, and Pajares. I should probably take it all the way back to Dewey. Some people might say Rorty and Heidegger, but I don't think I have that within me. There is also a good deal of research on students and self-efficacy, but mostly in the realm of athletics and music. I found two dissertations in progress about self-efficacy and the visual arts--one about creativity in general and one about the visual arts, both coming out of Australia. About redefinitions of creativity, there is also no dearth of articles: Zimmerman, Freedman, and Gardner. (I know I am supposed to be putting dates after these names, but forgive me, I am more or less thinking out loud.) I came across a new reference for Gardner in the past day or two and of course left it at school. (It seemed really good--about twenty-first century needs and learning, from his point of view of multiple intelligences.)

Now--as for perceived needs of twenty-first century learners--I like the work of Pat Bassett very much although his lectures don't seem to be in print--maybe it is okay to reference on-line lectures. I have found earlier print materials that points toward his current lecture circuit material. (He is the president of the National Association of Independent Schools, naturally a large figure in my world.) The new Gardner reference also leaned toward the need for affective skills in the twenty-first century.

As far as I have found out so far, there hasn't been a lot of writing connecting the three ideas to the art studio itself. Even the redefinitions of creativity don't address the feelings, moments, and opportunities of a working studio class. This is the first and second part of my thesis. The first part (in my mind at the moment) is a theoretical overlay of the three ideas and how they work together. The second part is either a true separate part, coming mainly from my classroom journal, or interspersed as working examples for the first part.

Now, the third part may be just my vanity. I want to try a creative-type writing of what goes on in the classroom, ostensibly from the viewpoint of the student working on a picture, and if she is realizing the larger life lessons as she is working. It is perhaps my vanity to try creative writing; it is perhaps vanity to think I am teaching larger life lessons. I haven't found much visual art-oriented "creative" writing; it seems to be more prevalent on the sociological fringes. Maybe I just haven't found it yet. But, as a dedicated teacher, I feel if you don't include the student's voice, the thesis is less true.

So--what other questions do I have? I work in an all-girls school--should I acknowledge that and research how girls learn differently from boys? Are they more amenable, if that is the right word, to social learning theory? Do they have an advantage in the "affective" world? (My thesis is not totally in the affective world, however--one of my major "needs" of twenty-first century learners is critical thinking.)

I know I should be adding all the citations I have mentioned in passing--but I don't have them right here, right now. I get the feeling all these smaller assignments are set up in such a way that if we really did them well, our thesis proposal would simply be a matter of putting them together. Alas, that is not me, or not my life, at the moment. It is catch-as catch-can. I will add all the citations in an edit--maybe tomorrow, or at worst, over Thanksgiving break.

Keep Rolling On.....

There is a lack of research in the area of art education that studies expressive art activities with in the art curricula that could serve as an outlet for students to express their problems and emotions. With this, we need to study and collect evidence on what expressive art activities are most beneficial to improving a student’s overall emotional wellbeing. We need to prove with our studies that these art activities would be beneficial in our schools and work diligently to get them integrated into the art curricula as soon as possible. We also need to research what types of trainings/classes would aid teachers in implementing these art activities into their classrooms effectively and properly. I plan on using qualitative research for this study because most of my data will come from interviews, journals, observations, and artworks, which you can’t really put numbers to like quantitative data uses.

Stokrocki, M. (1997). Qualitative forms of research methods. In S. D. La Pierre, & E. Zimmerman (Eds.). Research methods and methodologies for art education (pp. 33-56). Reston, VA: NAEA.