Some art educators working in communities exemplify an alternative to the more common and stereotypical notion of the artist as autonomous, self-focused, and neutral. They view art-making and education as vehicles for social justice, and in some cases for social and political activism. In these broader social functions, the boundaries between art, education and activism fade. Drawing on perspectives from community art education, sociology, art criticism, critical pedagogy, and social justice education, and based on in-depth interviews with participants, this study examines the motivations, perspectives, development, and experiences of five artist/educator/activists who work in community-based settings in Tucson, Arizona. Common characteristics, as well as questions and implications for further research, are presented and discussed.

<p>My study suggests by adding cultural relevant material to a curriculum does not alter the way a teacher teaches, it changes the "why." By selecting material that connects students in regards to their social, cultural or historical experience a teacher adds to the creditability of the lesson. The selection of a culturally relevant subject changes the detached "Why I am drawing this" to a subject that has a deeper meaning. The study of culturally relevant material provides students with cultural "depth" that becomes a part of their visual experience. Cultural depth is a necessary component in developing critical thinking skills and becomes a foundation for a student's creative expression. </p><p> A necessary goal of art education is visual literacy. Visually literacy requires no tactile skill, it is the critical thinking component of art. The tactile skill component of art used to express ideas in a creative way varies from those with talent (the ability to draw well) to those with very little or none. Visually literacy transcends talent. Little talent is need to develop the ability to put in context and frame visual and written information allowing one to discern the fiction from the non-fiction. </p><p> African-American art and artist were selected for my case study but the subjects studied do not need to be limited to demographics or ethnicity. There are many social and political issues within and outside the students' community that would have relevance. The key to improving visual literacy is connecting subject relevance to the students, in order to develop critical thinking skills and to have students think about what they see. The goal is always is to improve students' learning and achievement. </p>

The aesthetics of material environment grounded on design influences us. We are sensitive to space (to its certain volume); it influences our psychological state. Everyone of us encounters material environment as a user, perceiver or creator. Modern teenager finds it quite difficult to perceive himself and his relation with the surrounding reality or the forms of reality. It is even quite difficult to tell what is material environment. Modern technologies can easily present fiction, imitation as a reality, which we start trusting, perceive and live in. The man communicates with the environment and information. His imagination has to start to evaluate, form and change the material environment in a creative way, employing cognitive, logical and emotional processes. Design as designing of material environment, artistic constructing, creation of aesthetic appearance combines art, science and technics. Aesthetic cognisance is significant in its evolutionary sense too, because it enables to model and describe internal and external world, which surely would be impossible to represent just in the rational way. Aesthetic value describes the so-called object, on one hand as the totality of peculiarities and various relations, and on the other hand, as the relation of those peculiarities and the man with the environment (natural, social, material). This research work provides a broader analysis of aesthetic reflection of design as one of the types of aesthetic activities. Design... [to full text]

This thesis is an analysis of existing approaches to multicultural curriculums and an original curriculum unit developed based on them. The study explores McFee and Degge’s (1977) Universal Institutions of an Evolving Culture and Related Curricular Themes in correlation with Banks’s (2009) Levels of Integration of Ethnic Content. The purpose of the study is to help educators make effective multicultural curricular choices when constructing unit lessons to give students a more comprehensive multicultural experience in art class. The goal is to understand that “culture can be a tool and a more powerful concept than language because it can be used to organize and teach more information” (Banks, p. 55).

<p> Bullying behaviors among primary school-aged children are underreported, which communicates to the children that the issue is not important to the adults who should be promoting a safe and healthy environment. The purpose of this qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of a purposeful sample of 15 fourth- and fifth-grade elementary teachers concerning the possible effect of Bernstein&rsquo;s Artful Learning&trade; Model strategies (an arts integration program) on bullying behaviors of fourth- and fifth-grade students at an arts magnate school. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 15 fourth- and fifth-grade teachers, using an interview guide with open-ended questions, about their perceptions of bullying at the research site and the effects of Bernstein&rsquo;s Artful Learning&trade; model on bullying behaviors. The study results indicated use of the model has the potential to help deter bullying behaviors. Participants believed the model&rsquo;s community-building component and strategies helped decrease bullying and aggressive behaviors. This study provides educational leaders with a demonstration the efficacy of an arts-integration program in deterring bullying behaviors among elementary students.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative research case study was to investigate leadership and funding decisions that determine key factors responsible for sustaining arts programs in public schools. This dissertation represents one of eight dissertations in a thematic dissertation group at the University of Southern California. Each researcher conducted a qualitative research case study at a separate, individual school site. While the educational climate, financial constraints and use of standardized testing to evaluate schools continue to threaten arts programs in public education, Eastland High School, the site of this case study, managed to sustain its visual and performing arts program. Understanding the key factors that sustained the arts program at Eastland High School shaped the foundation of this research study. A qualitative lens investigated three research questions to understand: (1) arts programs at the school, (2) leadership decisions that support the arts program, and (3) funding decisions made at the site. The triangulation of data identified several emerging themes relevant to the three research questions. The first significant theme found collaborative leadership built ongoing social and political capital among all stakeholders to support and sustain the arts program. The findings discovered community partnerships represented a second important theme, which contributed toward the longevity of the arts program. A third theme determined resourceful funding decisions guided school leaders to build successful arts programs. The implications of this case study indicated collaborative leadership and resourceful funding decisions sustain viable arts programs in public schools. Based on the evidence analyzed and discussed in the findings, the case study provided educational leaders with recommendations for future research and advice to sustain arts education in public schools.</p>

<p> In 2011, with ongoing concerns over state budget shortfalls and the increasing educational cost structure, California state legislators focused their attention on measures that could lead to access, added productivity, and value in order to sustain the current educational system. One ofthe recommendations provided by the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) was to eliminate state support for course repetition in activity classes. In 2012, the Board of Governors (BOG) adopted the changes to Title 5 ofthe California Code of Regulations to limit the apportionment a community college district could collect for student attendance in credit courses that are related in content. This limitation on apportionment was intended to specifically limit student enrollment in active participatory courses such as those in the visual and performing arts.</p><p> This qualitative interview study used the Discipline-Based Art Education framework to bring forth the experiences of 13 community college visual and performing arts (VAPA) instructors. The purpose of the study was to understand how VAPA instructors experienced the elimination of course repetition, how they reconciled the requirements of their discipline with the state educational policy, and how these changes influence the teaching and promotion of access to arts learning.</p>

This cross-cultural case study was conducted through questionnaire format by way of email correspondence with eight Russian art educators in May to June 2006. It was conducted to give an initial overview into Russian Art Education from the perspectives of eight Russian art educators. The data was analyzed to discover any commonalities in values, beliefs, and attitudes that may have significance to Americans wishing to learn about the structure, content, and pedagogy of Russian art education. The findings of this study reveal that Russian art educators embrace a very traditional and classical approach to the teaching of art. Today Russian art educators are also working toward a more democratic society through art education. The participant interview responses generally reflected a desire to positively communicate and express their educational ideas and beliefs. Recommendations include further research through additional case studies in different areas of the country and more English translations of Russian art education are suggested.

A reliance on a teacher-centered model of instruction presented the foundation for my research. I chose to investigate constructivist theory and to implement constructivist teaching practices within my art education classroom to determine if constructivist teaching practices would facilitate a shift to a more student-centered learning environment, and to determine if constructivist strategies positively impact student learning. I collected my raw data using autoethnographic recording, documenting my results over a two month period in January and February of 2007 from my experiences as an art educator at a public, Metro-Atlanta elementary school. A positive impact on student learning was observed and the constructivist teaching strategies did produce student-centered learning environments. Based on my experiences constructivist teaching strategies may be beneficial to the creation of student-centered learning environments and assist in broadening student inquiry and investment with lessons.

ABSTRACT Based on my experience and research, I believe more educational resources are needed for teaching students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I have combined interviews of participants --two certified and currently practicing art teachers working in the public school setting, two adaptive art specialists, and two art therapists-- with relevant information from my Review of Literature to compile an initial set of practices and adaptive techniques specifically for art teachers to use in constructing a successful learning environment in the art classroom for students with ASD. According to my review of literature, three factors necessary for creating a successful learning environment for students with ASD are preparation, collaboration, and instruction. To examine these factors, I focused my interviews on these topics. Results were aligned with the initial research as those interviewed described a need for more complete and applicable training, more opportunities for collaboration, and information about possible strategies to use with students with ASD in the art classroom. INDEX WORDS: Art Education, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Art Therapy, Adaptive Art