Thesis (MA(VA))--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The gap between the theoretical and practical aspects of art education is a trend that is discussed and investigated in both the South African and the global context. In 2009, I found that my students at Elkanah House were not doing particularly well academically, and that they displayed a negative attitude towards the theoretical component of Visual Arts. This is not a unique phenomenon. Steers (2009) refers to the gap between theoretical and practical components in his article on globalisation in visual culture. According to Steers, a gap developed in various educational settings between the content and how it is practically carried out in the orthodox school curriculum. In addition, the publications Art Education and Art Education Journal issued a call for articles on the same topic in 2013. To address the problem, I systematically developed an art curriculum from grade 10 based on the praxis of the theoretical and practical components of teaching art at my school from 2010 onwards. This curriculum includes the following: 1) experiential learning and alternative learning perspectives; 2) critical and reflective thinking; 3) development of theory through practical investigations and experiences; 4) somatic knowledge, qualitative reasoning and communicative knowledge; 5) material thinking, learning through the use of materials and body; 6) cohesive discovery of knowledge; and 7) citizenship development. The purpose of the present study was to investigate how students experienced an art curriculum that integrated theory and practice through various projects. The investigation was based on an empirical research method utilizsing a qualitative approach and a case study design. In the research, a combination of themes including various learning theories in the process of experiential learning; development of critical thinking and reflection; development of critical citizenship education; and praxis as a concept in an art curriculum were examined to narrow the gap between the theoretical and practical components of Visual Arts. The results of the research indicated that the students’ academic performance improved and aspects of critical reflective thinking, critical citizenship and awareness of the wider context in which students find themselves had also been enhanced. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die gaping tussen teoretiese en praktiese komponente in kunsonderwys is ʼn tendens wat in beide Suid-Afrikaanse en globale kontekste bespreek en ondersoek word. In 2009 het ek gevind dat my studente by Elkanah House nie akademies goed vaar nie, en ook ʼn negatiewe houding teenoor die teoretiese komponent van Visuele Kunste toon. Dit is nie ʼn unieke tendens nie. Steers (2009) verwys in sy artikel oor globalisering in visuele kultuur na die gaping wat tussen die teorie en die praktyk ontstaan het. Volgens Steers het daar in die ortodokse skool kurrikulum ‘n gaping in verskeie onderwyssituasies ontwikkel tussen die inhoud en dit wat prakties uitgevoer word. Die publikasies Art Education en Art Education Journal het ook in 2013 ʼn beroep gedoen vir artikels oor dieselfde onderwerp. Ek het in 2010 ʼn kunskurrikulum met praksis van die teoretiese en praktiese komponente stelselmatig vanaf graad 10 ontwikkel om die probleem van skeiding tussen teorie en prakties by die skool waar ek klasgee aan te spreek. Hierdie kurrikulum het die volgende ingesluit: 1) ervaringsleer en alternatiewe leerperspektiewe; 2) kritiese en reflektiewe denke; 3) ontwikkeling van teorie deur praktiese ondersoeke en ervaringe; 4) somatiese kennis, kwalitatiewe redenering en kommunikatiewe weet; 5) materiaal-gebaseerde denke, leer deur gebruik te maak van materiale en liggaam; 6) samehangende ontdekking van kennis; en 7) burgerskapontwikkeling. Die doel van hierdie studie was om ‘n ondersoek te doen na hoe studente die bogenoemde kunskurrikulum vir die integrasie van teorie en prakties deur verskeie projekte ervaar het. Die ondersoek was gebaseer op ʼn empiriese navorsingsmetode deur gebruik te maak van ʼn kwalitatiewe benadering en ʼn gevallestudie-ontwerp. Temas soos die verbetering van motivering; invloede op die vak Visuele Kunste en ander vakgebiede; groter bewuswording van plek in die gemeenskap en aanpassing van onderrigstyl deur die fasiliteerder is in die ondersoek geïdentifiseer. Die resultate van die navorsing het aangedui dat studente se akademiese prestasie nie net verbeter het nie, maar dat aspekte van kritiese reflektiewe denke, kritiese burgerskap, asook bewuswording van die breër konteks waarin die kunsstudente hulself bevind, verbreed is.

Each year there is an increase in the number of art students who transfer art credits from Texas junior colleges to North Texas State University. The lack of standardization in the junior college art courses indicated an area of investigation in which some procedures might be suggested in order to secure greater continuity and unity between the art curricula of the Texas junior colleges and that of North Texas State University.

This paper is a report of research at North Texas State University concerning the effect of Art 135-136 on the design judgment of elementary education majors. It describes the measurement of the level of design judgments of elementary education majors who have completed the course and those who have not.