Discipline-Based Art Education in Secondary Classrooms

Abstract

An interesting paradox attends current discussion of discipline-based art education. On the one hand the comment is heard that, is nothing new, the ideas have been around for decades. On the other hand is the remark that is present in theory, but can it be accomplished in the classroom? Salome (1987) asked, Where can I find descriptions of application of DBAE and analysis of results that prove they work? Are any research reports that translate DBAE theory into practice? (p. 67). He pointed out that, although theoretical articles about the discipline-based approach detail characteristics such as the requirement for a balanced art curriculum derived from aesthetics, art criticism, art history, and art production, and integration of this content for instruction, more papers are needed that describe application of DBAE curricula. He wrote that there has been no widely distributed data describing successful, DBAE programs, and that is a need to compare the achievements of students in DBAE and non-DBAE (p. 67). Because the term, discipline-based art education, is so recent in the literature (Greer, 1984), Salome's statement is accurate, but it does not take into consideration earlier studies of art programs that exhibited essential characteristics of DBAE. In this paper I will discuss two earlier studies that reported results of integrated instruction compared with traditional programs (Day, 1969, 1976) and provide additional descriptions of the classroom that resulted in student achievement. I will refer also to a study commissioned by the Getty Center for Education in the Arts in search for school districts that are developing art programs that include art production, art history, and art criticism. (Duke, 1984). This study yielded rich and vivid accounts of how art specialists and general teachers are practicing discipline-based art education (p. v). The reports will be discussed in relation to these recurring questions: 1. How is DBAE applied at the secondary level (junior high, middle, and senior high schools)? 2. Does the academic DBAE approach result in programs of instruction that lack excitement? 3. Does quality of students' art production decrease when a balanced art curriculum is implemented? 4. Is balance among the four art disciplines required for discipline-based art courses at the high school level? Considerable attention has been paid to elementary art curriculum development (Eisner, 1969; SWRL, 1982; Chapman, 1985), but applications of DBAE theory to secondary levels are less prominent in the literature (Mittler, 1986). A study that applied and tested discipline-based theory in the junior high school