Locating visual arts education in a post-liberal arts landscape

International Handbook of Research in Arts Education

Visual arts education must outline a defensible vision for our discipline that acknowledges the arts are White property. In this article, I argue that visual art itself should be recognized as a racializing technology contributing to the production and ranking of human difference. I show how a previous iteration of visual arts education—visual culture art education—also called into question the role of visual art in producing the cultural superiority of the Enlightenment subject, who was key to the historical emergence of whiteness itself. However, this approach to art education was more concerned with the political ontology of the image rather than the human. Drawing on Al-An deSouza’s studio practice, negotiated refusal, I begin to outline a vision for visual arts education that recognizes the arts as White property, and yet does not give up on either fine art or the human.

There is a rich heritage of visual art education research, which inquires into how visual art enriches and gives aesthetic meaning to peoples’ private and public lives and experiences. Researchers explore the studio art-making process; examine how people teach and learn within the related disciplines of aesthetics, art criticism, and art history; and grapple with a variety of theoretical and practical issues that are related, for example, to child development, visual perception, diversity, culture, multiculturalism, social perspectives, gender (including sexual orientation), controversial issues, and technology. They conduct their research using philosophical, quantitative, and qualitative forms of inquiry that are often derived from related disciplines such as sociology, history, anthropology, psychology, and curriculum theory. Essentially, researchers in visual art education confront the exciting challenges-new and old-that visual art provides artists, teachers, and learners within a postmodern world. The content for this chapter is based on an analysis of research findings in visual art education. Research was examined from the following sources: important research published in journals during the last 20 years (for example, Journal of Aesthetic Education; Journal of Multicultural and Cross-Cultural Studies in Art Education; Studies in Art Education; Visual Arts Research); the Dissertation Abstracts database; selected doctoral dissertations; existing research analyses (Allison, 1986; Burton, 1991, 1998; Da­ vis, 1977; Hamblen, 1989; Jones & McPhee, 1986; La Pierre & Zimmerman, 1997; La Pierre, Stokrocki, & Zimmerman, 2000); and significant monographs, books, and reports (for example, Smith, 2000). Other sources included the various publications of the National Art Education Association’s (NAEA) Research Commission (National Arts Education Association [NAEA], 1994, 1996, 1998). In addition, international journals were examined (for example, Canadian Review of Art Education; and the United Kingdom’s Journal of Art and Design Education), given that visual art education research has a long history in other parts of the world.

Visual Art has been a part of Australian education for decades; however, in an increasingly globalized visual world where individuals are inundated with media images the need for students to develop the skills to deconstruct and reconstruct images has become vital. And yet the notions that Visual Art is simply a God-given gift, frill or busy-work activity remain prevalent within our society and the skills that are taught become optional for students at the end of their middle school years. Therefore, educators and researchers alike have the added responsibility to determine students’ understanding of the benefits of Visual Art and identify ways in which to encourage continued appreciation and involvement in their Visual Art Education. The purpose of this thesis is to identify possible perceptions Year 7 students at a private college have on Visual Art, the influences that effect student subject selection and the ways their attitudes can inform future planning. The context of the study was an elite independent college in Victoria, Australia. This school currently allows students at the end of Year 7 to discontinue their Visual Art studies in Year 8. This study approached Year 7 students with the intention of determining whether or not they enjoyed and valued Visual Art in addition to seeking insight into their attitudes surrounding their Visual Art classroom learning activities. The study furthermore sought insight into student attitudes concerning the role parents, self-efficacy, peers or dreams for the future played in their decision to continue or discontinue specific subjects. This paper also endeavoured to add to the mounting body of literature on student perceptions by investigating student’s beliefs within a Visual Art classroom context. It similarly aimed to add to current arts educational research through addressing the gaps that exist in Visual Art Educational studies, specifically the lack of student opinions. The study attempted this through collating data on Year 7 perceptions from three different instruments. Forty-one students volunteered to participate in an online questionnaire, during their timetabled art class, and provided their thoughts on their classroom experiences, subject selection influences and dreams for the future. Eleven students, who completed the surveys, then offered to attend one of four focus groups interviews that were conducted. These 30-minute interviews involved the interviewer asking semi-structured questions and prompting discussion with visual stimuli. Four students within the focus group interviews also illustrated how they saw themselves within their Visual Art classroom. Multiple instruments were created to encourage students to answer honestly and be able to offer in-depth insight into their opinions as well as allow the researcher to triangulate data and increase the validity of the information gathered. It became apparent within the questionnaire, focus group interviews and drawing instruments that students enjoyed Visual Art, looked forward to their Visual Art class learning experiences and it was a favourite among many. The key struggle students’ highlighted during their classroom experiences concerned time-management. However the data, while suggesting that students liked Visual Art, also noted that the majority of students had dated notions of the purpose of Visual Art subjects and illustrated that further discussions on the aims of Visual Art Education in accordance to the new ACARA (2011) documents might be beneficial to implementing the national curriculum. The findings also clarified that Visual Art was not perceived as an important class and the minority of student participants saw a future in the creative industries. By identifying through the findings and literature framework the role that goals, self-efficacy and mindsets play within subject selection and motivation, as well as the significance of parent influence, the study was able to highlight the growing need for parental involvement in promoting Visual Art Education, developing a growth mindset and student self-efficacy. The study also implicated the necessity for teachers to promote career pathways in our global and creative economy that are benefited by Visual Art studies. As a whole the study provides insight into potential actions Visual Art teachers at a Private College might explore to improve motivation in the Visual Art classroom and encourage students to elect to continue their studies in Visual Art in the future.

The integration of digital assessment tools into the educational process emphasized the significance of assessing the knowledge and skills of teachers and teacher candidates in designing, utilizing, and benefiting from these tools. Therefore, it is very important to analyze the competencies of final-year teacher candidates who will serve as teachers in visual arts education, an essential area within education. This study aims to reveal the experiences of senior visual arts teacher candidates in designing digital assessment tools. Designed as a case study, which is one of the qualitative research methods, the present study employs a single-case design. Participants were selected through criterion sampling, a purposive sampling method. The criteria for participation included being a senior undergraduate student, volunteering to participate, and having completed the courses “Visual Arts Education Programs”, “Material Design in Visual Arts Teaching”, and “Assessment and Evaluation in Education” within their degree program. This study was carried out with 26 visual arts teacher candidates (21 female and 5 male) studying in the Department of Art Education at a state university in Türkiye. Data collection was performed using digital assessment tools designed by the participants, besides the structured interview forms. Before the application, participants received an introductory briefing on the identified digital assessment tools and their integration into visual arts education, based on a review of the literature. Participants were given the freedom to choose the digital platform they would use and were tasked with designing a digital assessment tool. After a three-week preparation period, the visual arts teacher candidates who had designed digital assessment tools were asked, “Would you use digital assessment tools in Visual Arts lessons when you become a teacher? Why?” The collected data were categorized under specific themes and subcodes, with participants coded as K1, K2, K3, …. Data analysis was conducted using the qualitative data analysis software MAXQDA, resulting in tabular, visual, and descriptive interpretations. It was observed that participants designed digital assessment tools aligned with the learning areas and achievements of the Visual Arts Course Curriculum. It was found that participants predominantly preferred 5th-grade middle school level in their digital assessment tool designs. Among the learning areas in the Visual Arts Course Curriculum, the most frequently addressed achievements were related to “Cultural Heritage”, and the Wordwall digital platform was the most commonly utilized tool. Grouping was the preferred question type for the assessment tools. All participating visual arts teacher candidates expressed their intention to use digital assessment tools as teachers but noted facing challenges due to a lack of technical knowledge during the preparation process. This research highlights the need for similar studies involving larger groups and deeper investigations. Accordingly, the present study recommends conducting long-term studies to monitor the development of a higher number of participants, investigating the challenges visual arts teacher candidates face in technology usage, and exploring additional digital application examples for use in visual arts education.

In this study, the researcher investigated visual arts teacher preparation programs at universities in Louisiana with particular emphasis on the curriculum component. The research was designed to survey teacher training programs and to compare the findings with delineated National Art Education Association standards. This study included only public institutions of higher education in Louisiana with visual arts education teacher preparation programs. The researcher conducted interviews at each of the 13 universities. Two of the universities worked together in a joint art education program. An interview guide was prepared and used to facilitate the interviewing process. Records and documents were also examined to collect data about each of the programs. The researcher used the data collected to prepare profiles for the universities. Each of the programs was then compared to delineated standards to determine discrepancies in the programs. Important findings of the study included: (a) the curricula in the 12 art education programs varied significantly in the major content area, (b) each of the visual arts teacher training programs had discrepancies in their art requirements when compared to the National Art Education Association standards, (c) Louisiana state guidelines for visual arts teacher preparation programs varied from delineated National Art Education Association standards, (d) the number of visual arts education graduates in the past decade varied substantially from the number of visual arts education students being certified, and (e) the number of visual arts education students has declined in the past ten years. After examining the data and findings, the researcher recommended that visual arts teacher preparation programs in Louisiana work to comply with the National Art Education Association standards. It was also recommended that programs address the specific shortcomings in course requirements, course offerings, and faculty competencies.

Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að kanna notkun snjalltækja í listgreinum. Í ljósi aukinnar notkunar snjalltækja í skólastarfi og mikilvægis skapandi hugsunar er leitast við að kanna hvernig slík tæki eru notuð í myndmenntakennslu. Jafnframt er markmiðið að kanna notkunarmöguleika tækninnar í myndmennt og tækifæri til sköpunar. Í rannsókninni var notuð eigindleg rannsóknaraðferð og tekin hálfopin viðtöl við fjóra myndmenntakennara og einn margmiðlunarkennara sem starfa í grunnskólum á höfuðborgarsvæðinu. Tilgangurinn var að svara eftirfarandi rannsóknarspurningum: Hver er tilgangurinn með notkun snjalltækja í myndmennt, hvernig nota kennarar tækin í kennslu og hver eru tækifærin til sköpunar? Í þessari grein eru skoðuð viðhorf kennara til tækninnar og snjalltæki sem verkfæri skoðuð. Niðurstöður leiddu í ljós að snjalltæki eru notuð sem tiltekin verkfæri í myndmenntakennslu en þau nýtast nemendum við upplýsingaleit, hugmyndavinnu og efnisleit. Notkun snjalltækja kemur ekki í staðinn fyrir hefðbundnar aðferðir í myndmennt heldur er meginhlutverk þeirra að styðja vinnuferli og verkefni nemenda. Þrátt fyrir takmarkaða notkun snjalltækja í myndmennt og ólík viðhorf kennara til notkunar tækninnar í greininni gefa niðurstöður til kynna að upplýsingatækni og gagnvirkir miðlar geti ef lt skapandi hugsun nemenda. Færni nemenda til sköpunar og þekking þeirra á tækninni gegnir þar stóru hlutverki. Í myndmennt geta skapast tækifæri fyrir kennara til að breyta kennsluháttum sínum með því að nýta snjalltæki á virkan hátt við ný verkefni sem annars væru óframkvæmanleg. Þannig getur tæknin bæði nýst til að breyta nálgun og stutt hefðbundnar aðferðir.

The relationship between arts education, museum education and drama education in elementary education

Visual arts education is important in developing students’ creativity, critical thinking, and cultural awareness. However, in Ghana, visual arts subjects at the secondary school level often need help with challenges such as lack of resources, large class sizes, and misconceptions about the value of art education. This study aimed to explore innovative approaches and interventions that could address misconceptions and promote effective visual arts education in Ghana’s secondary schools. A qualitative document analysis and thematic analysis were conducted. Relevant policy documents, national curriculum frameworks, and previous research studies related to visual arts education in Ghana were analyzed to identify existing challenges, opportunities, and recommendations. Key emerging themes included misconceptions about visual arts subjects, lack of resources, training for art teachers and large class sizes that do not augur well for hands-on learning. The analysis also identified recommendations such as integrating visual arts across the curriculum, promoting art exhibitions, and leveraging community resources and partnerships to support visual arts programmes. This study provides insights into existing challenges in visual arts education in Ghana’s secondary schools and highlights innovative approaches that could help address misconceptions and strengthen visual arts programmes. Integrating visual arts across subject areas, promoting art exhibitions, improving teacher training, and leveraging community partnerships may help promote effective visual arts education.

Contents: E.W. Eisner, M.D. Day, Introduction to Handbook of Research and Policy in Art Education. Part I:Historical Currents in Art Education. F.G. Chalmers, Learning From Histories of Art Education: An Overview of Research and Issues. M.A. Stankiewicz, P.M. Amburgy, P.E. Bolin, Questioning the Past: Contexts, Functions, and Stakeholders in 19th-Century Art Education. J.H. White, 20th-Century Art Education: A Historical Perspective. Part II:Policy Perspectives Impacting the Teaching of Art. R.A. Smith, Policy and Arts Education. S. Hope, Art Education in a World of Cross-Purposes. C.B. Gee, Spirit, Mind, and Body: Arts Education the Redeemer. L. Hetland, E. Winner, Cognitive Transfer From Arts Education to Non-Arts Outcomes: Research Evidence and Policy Implications. R.A. Smith, Aesthetic Education: Questions and Issues. H.G. Blocker, Varieties of Multicultural Art Education: Some Policy Issues. E.L. Lankford, K. Scheffer, Museum Education and Controversial Art: Living on a Fault Line. Part III:Learning in the Visual Arts. A.M. Kindler, Introduction: Development and Learning in Art. A.M. Kindler, Researching Impossible? Models of Artistic Development Reconsidered. J. Matthews, The Art of Infancy. B. Wilson, Child Art After Modernism: Visual Culture and New Narratives. C. Golomb, Sculpture: Representational Development in a Three-Dimensional Medium. N.H. Freeman, Aesthetic Judgment and Reasoning. D. Pariser, E. Zimmerman, Learning in the Visual Arts: Characteristics of Gifted and Talented Individuals. Part IV:Teaching and Teacher Education. E. Zimmerman, Introduction to Teaching and Teacher Education. L. Galbraith, K. Grauer, State of the Field: Demographics and Art Teacher Education. M. Stokrocki, Contexts for Teaching Art. M. Erickson, Interaction of Teachers and Curriculum. F. Thurber, Teacher Education as a Field of Study in Art Education: A Comprehensive Overview of Methodology and Methods Used in Research About Art Teacher Education. F.R. Sabol, An Overview of Art Teacher Recruitment, Certification, and Retention. J.M. Burton, The Practice of Teaching in K-12 Schools: Devices and Desires. Part V:Forms of Assessment in Art Education. E. Soep, Assessment and Visual Arts Education. D. Boughton, Assessing Art Learning in Changing Contexts: High-Stakes Accountability, International Standards and Changing Conceptions of Artistic Development. H. Persky, The NAEP Arts Assessment: Pushing the Boundaries of Large-Scale Performance Assessment. C.M. Myford, A. Sims-Gunzenhauser, The Evolution of Large-Scale Assessment Programs in the Visual Arts. E. Soep, Visualizing Judgment: Self-Assessment and Peer Assessment in Arts Education. Part VI:Emerging Visions of the Field. A.D. Efland, Emerging Visions of Art Education. S.M. Dobbs, Discipline-Based Art Education. T. Barrett, Investigating Art Criticism in Education: An Autobiographical Narrative. A.D. Efland, Art Education as Imaginative Cognition. M. Parsons, Art and Integrated Curriculum. G. Sullivan, Studio Art as Research Practice. K. Freedman, P. Stuhr, Curriculum Change for the 21st Century: Visual Culture in Art Education.

In Malaysia, the curricular subject of visual art, especially at secondary school level, pays little attention to the aspect of artistic knowledge development. Students are assigned to the arts stream based on their Level Three assessment results, which ultimately causes problems in the visual art learning process in the classroom. On the other hand, formal art education is absent among students in the science stream and visual art is perceived to be only for underperforming students, when in fact visual art can be a valuable subject for all students. This study used a qualitative triangulation method to assess the similarities between data from face-to-face interviews, observations and literature study. Visual arts education is duly needed at the upper secondary level of education in Malaysia to cultivate future generations with creative and critical minds. However, does the art education offered in the arts stream actually benefit the students who are assigned to this curricular stream based on the existing student placement system? This study aimed to investigate problems and issues in Malaysian visual arts education based on the system of student placement into curricular streams.

Visual Art educators are keenly aware of the significant contribution art can make to the growth and development of young children as it provides unique opportunities for personal expression and creativity. However, while it is acknowledged that art contributes to the development of the whole child, the link between thought and practice is often tenuous. Hence the question needs to be asked, what do student teachers really think about art and art education. This longitudinal study aimed at an exploration of student teachers prior experiences, existing knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, perceptions and interest in the visual arts. One hundred and ten B.Ed. (Primary) students enrolled in two compulsory Visual Arts Education units of study were surveyed in March 1999 and then in October 2001 to ascertain how they interpreted the term visual arts; how this related to visual arts education (if, in fact it did); where they would position visual arts amongst the other five key learning areas of the primary curriculum; and ultimately how they felt about the prospect of teaching visual arts in a primary school context. The findings of the research revealed a number of significant differences between the initial data (March 1999) and the final data (October 2001).

Visual art education for students with gifts and talents is a topic rarely explored by researchers. Many researchers examined how giftedness is defined in different cultures, but few studied the differences in services provided for students identified with gifts and talents. A comparison of visual art education in China and the United States highlighted how different cultures emphasized different aspects of visual art ability and developed different systems to cultivate artistic talent. This study explored the differences and similarities in visual art teaching in both countries, focusing on key skills that Chinese art teachers prioritize, ways that Chinese high schools support talented students, and the roles of art teachers in both countries. Using content analysis, this study examined the art curriculum standards, national policy documents on visual arts, authoritative analyses, and the official websites of five representative art universities and high schools. The findings highlighted China's emphasis on technical proficiency in art education, contrasting with the United States' focus on self-awareness and creative expression. These differences shaped art education provided for students with gifts and talents in visual arts and the students’ development in both countries, offering valuable insights for educators and policymakers.

This study investigates the potential to encompass questions about transgender and gender fluid identity in the school subject visual art in compulsory school years 7-9. A qualitative semi-structured focus group interview was made with five visual art teachers who discuss visual art in relation to its potential to support personal development, exploration of identity and gender orientation in art education. The article discusses in what way visual art as a school subject can function as communicative support for pupils with gender fluid identity and in what way transgender individuals and individuals with gender fluid identity can be included in the art education in school. The results show that the visual art teachers believe that the subject visual art is a significant tool for pupils in communicating an inner dialogue with an external world. The results also show that multimodal methods give pupils the opportunity to be exploratory and uncertain as well as support them in communicating what is unsaid and unwritten when exploring ongoing changes in gender identity. Visual arts can thus be a forum for pupils to talk about questions concerning transgender and gender fluid identification and serve as a democratic tool to counteract exclusion.

This research project developed from my concerns around visual arts programmes in New Zealand primary schools. Visual arts are an important expression of personal and cultural values and identity. Making art has been found to have a range of personal, social and developmental benefits for children (Efland, 2004a; Eisner, 2002; Jarvis, 2004; O'Connor & Dunmill, 2005) as well as developing valuable workplace skills for the growing sphere of creative industries. I felt there had been a reduction in time spent teaching visual arts over the last 10 years or so, and informal enquiries found many teachers agreed that they taught visual arts less than they used to or would like to. When I asked one teacher why this was so, she replied: It's too hard. The school day is so full, and everything has to be justified. (Personal contact) The effect of such pressures on visual arts education must be considered alongside a long-standing problem identified by research in New Zealand and internationally: many primary teachers lack the knowledge or confidence to teach visual arts beyond first steps. The Education Review Office found that less than half of New Zealand's primary school classroom teachers are able to provide good visual arts programmes (1995, 2004) and, although art is often children's favourite subject, the National Education Monitoring Project found that their art-making skills are generally not well developed (Flockton & Crooks, 2008). Primary teachers in Britain and the United States have reported feeling inadequately prepared for teaching visual arts (Ford, 2003; McCoubrey, 2000), but the problem does not seem to be simply one of adequate preservice preparation. A review of research literature in the area of primary visual arts education suggests that there are multiple, interrelated factors behind this problem. Teachers are at the epicentre of learning (Schwille & Dembele, 2007, p. 11) and central authorities ... depend upon teachers to implement (McGee et al., 2004). It is, therefore, vital to understand how teachers interpret the curriculum and why they make certain decisions about teaching rather than simply focusing on classroom outcomes. I began by considering the historical, political, professional and personal circumstances that may determine teachers' daily decisions around what, when and how they teach, as preparation for an inquiry into the perspectives of teachers on teaching visual arts as part of the classroom programme. The challenges for generalists teaching visual arts in primary schools A. Curriculum reform and the visual arts curriculum While art has been a core subject throughout the history of New Zealand's state education system (Collinge, 1978) the content and purpose of art curricula have changed to fit prevailing values and social and economic aims for the nation (Smith, 2007). The political impulse behind curriculum development indicates the origin of some significant challenges for teachers. Curriculum reform has been constant and substantial since the 1980s and a world-wide focus on quantitative measures of student achievement, influenced by neoliberal views, has had a major impact on what kinds of knowledge and achievement are valued (Biesta, 2010; Middleton, Codd, & Jones, 1990). When curriculum reform runs counter to teachers' beliefs as to desirable outcomes for students, and undermines what they know to be effective pedagogical practice, this creates a dissonance which reduces their effectiveness (Harker, Gibbs, Ryan, Weir, & Adams, 2003) and can produce resistance to mandated change (George, 2009; Stokrocki, 2004). As primary teachers are generalists they must accommodate change in all curriculum areas. Standen (2002) found that teachers' approach to teaching is determined by a coherent belief system which is composed of various interdependent elements including beliefs about self, relationships, knowledge, change, teaching and learning. …