The Effects of the Art Education Program on Drawing Skills of Six-Year-Old Gifted Children in the High Socio-Economic Status in Turkey

Abstract

AN ART EDUCATION PROGRAM WAS designed to develop the drawing skills of gifted children. In this study, the program was implemented with six-year-old gifted children receiving regular pre-elementary school education to investigate its impact. The main question to be answered was: Does the Art Education Program affect the drawing skills of six-year-old gifted children? The study included 26 girls and 26 boys from private preschools in Ankara, Turkey. Among these children, 26 were chosen as the experimental group and 26 were chosen as the control group. Both groups undertook the Silver Drawing Test before and after the program so any changes could be measured. The experimental group, after the pre-test, participated in an Art Education Program consisting of 18 sessions. There was a significant improvement in the drawing skills of the experimental group when compared to the control group (p < 0.001). However, the relationship between the pre-test, final test scores and years of pre-elementary education was not statistically significant at five per cent significance level.