Assessing the Six-Member Collaborative Drawing Technique with the Collaborative Art Elements Scale

Abstract

This research develops, validates, and applies a scale for evaluating the Six-Member Collaborative Drawing Technique (S-CDT) for measuring individual collaborative tendencies in pictorial expression; the Collaborative Art Elements Scale (CAES) comprises eight criteria for rating the S-CDT. The S-CDT involves structured art therapy assessment, wherein a group of six people draw together a community on a single sheet of large paper; the drawings’ formal elements are used to assess collaborative tendency. In this study, there were 437 participants (205 men, 215 women; age: 18–35 years). In the development of the rating scale, 20 initial items were examined and reviewed by experts over three sessions, to establish content validity; following factor analyses, the CAES was validated and eight items were derived to evaluate the S-CDT. The intra-class coefficient (ICC), at .89, and the intra-rater reliability, at .87–.93, were satisfactory, demonstrating reliability. Eight items were established as scoring criteria for pictorial expressions in the group-unit drawing assessment. Based on the evaluation, this research found that Factor 1 (energy) and Factor 2 (harmony) affect completion of the group task in the S-CDT. Overall, as scored by the CAES, the S-CDT is an effective group-unit assessment of participants’ collaboration in group artwork.