This study compares the views of three groups of art educators - secondary, tertiary pre-service lecturers, and scholars - about the content and structure considered important in art teacher pre-service education. Items of program content and structure, as well as issues in art-teacher preparation were gleaned from the writings of selected scholars and incorporated into a survey questionnaire. The survey was distributed to secondary art educators throughout Queensland and to art pre-service lecturers throughout Australia. An analysis of the results identifies areas and degrees of agreement and difference on items both within and between groups. The study can assist the development of art teacher pre-service programmes that reflect the values of both theoreticians and practitioners of art education. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of specially designed instructional strategies utilizing an art criticism model upon the perceptual differentiation and compositional drawing skills of college students. The an elementary art education course.All subjects received instruction in the studio activities of drawing and painting during the ten week treatment period. The three experimental groups received additional instruction in art criticism.Instrumentation consisted of the Group Embedded Figures Test, a standardized measure of perceptual differentiation, and the Student Composition Rating Scale, a measure developed by the investigator to quantify judgments of five expert judges on compositional skills displayed in drawings. Each instrument was administered as a pre- and post-test for all groups.Three null hypotheses were tested which maintained no significant differences for perceptual differentiation or compositional drawing skills among the three experimental sample consisted of 86 students enrolled in four sections of groups or between the experimental and control groups. A fourth null hypothesis maintained no significant difference between field-dependent and field-independent subjects on compositional skills displayed in drawing. These hypotheses were tested using multivariate analysis of variance and covariance. The .05 level of confidence was established. Inter-rater reliability was computed and found to be high for pre- and post-test SCRS measures.Findings and Conclusions1. All groups experienced gains in skills of perceptual differentiation. This result suggests that involvement in concentrated art activities, whether limited to studio activities, or coupled with the more cognitive aspects of art criticism, has the potential for increasing the visual perceptual skills of college students.2. The experimental groups significantly outperformed the control group on compositional drawing skill.This result suggests that the art criticism model did assist in the development and utilization of compositional strategies.3. No significant difference was found in perceptual differentiation or compositional drawing skills among the three various approaches to the implementation of the art criticism model. It would appear that student involvement with the structured analysis matrix determining factor, rather than the focus of criticism, or the degree of student involvement.4. Students who display greater skills of perceptual differentiation also display greater utilization of compositional strategies in drawing. This finding supports earlier contentions regarding the relationship between perceptual differentiation and art production.

The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of a University summer institute, and to determine whether the participants felt it had changed their ways of teaching art, brought them greater success or encouraged them to share ideas about art education. This research also examined what factors are necessary for creating change for teachers and questioned whether a University institute would be able to provide enough of those factors to induce change. An investigation of the literature in the area of curriculum change revealed that teachers require a great deal of support and an extensive amount of time for change to occur. A University course such as the Institute cannot provide much support or time. Through questionnaires, interviews, and additional information provided through a recall session conducted with the participants of the institute, it was possible to determine that for the majority of participants there was a perception that their art classes had undergone change and achieved greater success. For some of the participants the Institute had also caused them to share more information about art education with colleagues. For some, this change was extensive and for others less so but this study indicates that a University institute can make a significant contribution to effecting change for teachers. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

Thesis (MMus (Music))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / In 1994 the first democratic election took place in South Africa. Since then large initiatives have been undertaken on national level to redress the inequalities of the past. One of these areas where drastic transformation was needed, is the education system of the country. A National Qualifications Framework was created and Outcomes Based Education was used to implement a new curriculum. This required a total paradigm shift of teachers in terms of how they thought about education as well as changes in their teaching practice. The learning area Arts and Culture was included in the new curriculum to provide all learners with equal opportunities to take part in and enjoy the arts, cultural expression and conservation of heritage as a basic human right. The learning area however brought about unique problems for the teacher, as it is multidisciplinary and most teachers were not trained to facilitate it. Initially it was given to teachers who were specialists in one or the other of the arts disciplines, but these teachers progressively left the education system, and since then the learning area has fallen into the hands of nonspecialists. The Department of Education has launched various training opportunities to empower teachers, but without much success. Teachers remain inadequately qualified regarding subject knowledge and skills to bring the learning area to fruition and to reach the goals of the curriculum. In the process learners are deprived of important opportunities for experiences in the arts and teachers become increasingly demotivated. Thus, in South Africa there exists a dire need for effective in-service training and professional development of Arts and Culture teachers in order to empower them to take their place in the unlocking and transmission of the spiritual goods of the human race to our youth. This study investigates the true problems of Arts and Culture teachers in South Africa by placing the process of transformation in the education system after 1994 into context and viewing Outcomes Based Education, the learning area Arts and Culture and the development of teachers through the looking glass. Three forms of training for teachers are compared to try and find a possible best way to address these problems and to determine whether effective in-service training of Arts and Culture teachers leads to professional development, empowerment, a more positive vocational disposition and motivation. Training on a one-to-one basis lead by a specialist teacher emerges as the most effective alternative form of training.

The primary purpose of the study was to identify major causes and subsequent effects of curriculum lag in industrial-technical education. The subsidiary purpose of the study was to compare hierarchical rankings of major causes of curriculum lag in industrial-technical education as perceived by superintendents, secondary school principals, and industrial-technical education teachers in Indiana public school systems.Usable data collected by questionnaire from 406 out of 540 sample subjects were computed to generate respective rank hierarchies of selected twenty causes of curriculum lag in industrial-technical programs. Decisions about two Null Hypotheses were made at 0.05 level by use of multivariate, univariate, and chi-square analyses.Findings1. Superintendents, principals, and industrial-technical teachers were in agreement that three most severe causes of curriculum lag in Indiana secondary industrial-technical programs were inadequate funding, outdated laboratory equipment, and lack of in-service training for industrial-technical teachers.2. Ninety percent agreement occurred between the three respondent groups on ten most severe or ten least severe causes of curriculum lag in Indiana secondary industrial-technical programs.3. As perceived by teachers, inadequate funding and lack of in-service training opportunities affected school corporations with smaller enrollments than school corporations with larger figures.4. There were no significant differences between sizes of school corporations and causes of curriculum lag in industrial-technical programs as perceived by school administrators.5. Items involving structuring of courses, students' interest to study, and evaluation process were ranked as three least severe problem's in industrial-technical education. Sixty-seven percent agreement occurred between the respondent groups in ranking the last three severe problems.Conclusions1. Indiana public high schools are not funded for industrial-technical programs.2. Indiana industrial-technical education teachers are not offered opportunities to improve already acquired skills through in-service training programs.3. Industrial-technical programs are taught with outdated equipment in Indiana secondary schools.4. Lack of funds and in-service training for industrial-technical teachers affected smaller school corporations more than larger school corporations.Additional observations made during the study were presented.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the past art experiences and the beliefs about ability to create art as held by beginning elementary generalist teachers, and the effects of those beliefs on art teaching. Constructivism as a learning theory formed the theoretical framework for this study. An investigation of the related literature explored the topics of ability to create art, elementary generalist teachers of art, beginning teachers, teachers' beliefs, preparation of art teachers, and beginning teachers' images of self as art teacher. The research, consisting of two phases, was conducted using a descriptive case study methodology. Phase one of the study consisted of using semi-structured interviews with eight elementary generalist teachers in order to determine their past art experiences and their beliefs about their ability to create art. Three of those participants formed the purposeful sample for phase two of the study which consisted of observations of five art lessons per participant, along with pre and post interviews. An extended final interview was conducted along with documentation examination and interviews with school personnel. The thesis which emerged from this study is that beliefs about ability to create art were formed from prior experiences with art, and that beliefs about an ability to create art affected the art teaching practice of the participants. The participants believed that they do not have an ability to create art and do not have the natural talent required to be an artist. These beliefs, along with their limited background in art, lack of subject matter knowledge in art, and their status as beginning teachers adversely affected their art teaching practice. This study revealed eight specific connections between beginning teachers' beliefs about their ability to create art and their art teaching practice. Insights into these beliefs about art making and their connections to art teaching suggest important implications. Noteworthy among these implications are the need for teacher education programs to provide for personal art making skill development and the need for schools to provide support and accountability within art education for beginning teachers.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the past art experiences and the beliefs about ability to create art as held by beginning elementary generalist teachers, and the effects of those beliefs on art teaching. Constructivism as a learning theory formed the theoretical framework for this study. An investigation of the related literature explored the topics of ability to create art, elementary generalist teachers of art, beginning teachers, teachers' beliefs, preparation of art teachers, and beginning teachers' images of self as art teacher. The research, consisting of two phases, was conducted using a descriptive case study methodology. Phase one of the study consisted of using semi-structured interviews with eight elementary generalist teachers in order to determine their past art experiences and their beliefs about their ability to create art. Three of those participants formed the purposeful sample for phase two of the study which consisted of observations of five art lessons per participant, along with pre and post interviews. An extended final interview was conducted along with documentation examination and interviews with school personnel. The thesis which emerged from this study is that beliefs about ability to create art were formed from prior experiences with art, and that beliefs about an ability to create art affected the art teaching practice of the participants. The participants believed that they do not have an ability to create art and do not have the natural talent required to be an artist. These beliefs, along with their limited background in art, lack of subject matter knowledge in art, and their status as beginning teachers adversely affected their art teaching practice. This study revealed eight specific connections between beginning teachers' beliefs about their ability to create art and their art teaching practice. Insights into these beliefs about art making and their connections to art teaching suggest important implications. Noteworthy among these implications are the need for teacher education programs to provide for personal art making skill development and the need for schools to provide support and accountability within art education for beginning teachers. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

This qualitative action research study examines how critical theory defined and guided my practice as an art teacher educator while I provided inclusion training for seven preservice art teachers during their student teaching. Sources of data included a personal journal, the inclusion curriculum I created for the preservice teachers and questionnaires and interviews. Primary findings indicated that critical theory had a substantive impact on the evolving development of my teaching philosophy, in particular my attention to issues of power redistribution in the classroom and my developing notion of teaching as form of artistry. The findings of this study also indicate that the primary impact of critical theory upon the preservice teachers was the articulation of their personal narratives and its relation to the development of their teaching identities. Further, mentoring these preservice art teachers in critical theory increased their competence in solving educational dilemmas. A primary finding of this study was how significant of a role the supervising or mentor teacher plays in developing preservice teachers' identity. As this is acknowledged, valued and utilized, more collaborative relationships among these stakeholders in the education of the preservice art teacher can be forged. The study provides implications for art teacher educators as they provide inclusion training to preservice teachers. These include honoring narratives, articulating a broader notion of inclusion, and using context-specific instructional tools while preservice teachers are completing fieldwork with students with disabilities. One suggestion for future research is to conduct longitudinal studies which explore and validate the impact of critical theory upon art teacher educators and preservice art teachers during the student teaching semester and several years beyond.

"This study is made in an attempt to determine the direction in which certain design understandings can be developed by prospective elementary teachers by means of an experience with scrap material printing. The activity may be defined as one which involves printing with objects of differing shapes, textures, or lines, and combinations of these elements to achieve various effects. The design concepts which were selected as representing positive goals are listed as follows: 1. It does not take expensive materials, necessarily, to make a design. 2. The designer selects and organizes materials for his design. These materials have colors, shapes, textures, and lines, and it is these which the designer organizes in different combinations. Through such combinations he gets varied effects. 3. The designer considers the nature of the materials used for his design. He relates his design to its environment and function. 4. The designer expresses himself and interprets some of the principles or structures in nature. He does not reflect nature itself"--Introduction. / "Aug. 16, 1950." / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: Julia Schwartz, Professor Directing Paper.

The purpose of this study was to illuminate characteristics of the pedagogical learning environment in three contemporary MFA Visual Arts programs in the United States and to investigate effective pedagogical practice for graduate art students in preparation for teaching in higher education. According to the College Art Association (CAA), the MFA is considered the terminal degree in the visual arts, unlike other related fields such as art history and art education, where the doctorate is the highest degree. While MFA students can pursue a professional practice of creating and exhibiting their artwork after graduation, many students also enter the MFA with the aim of becoming college art educators. However, there has been a lack of research that specifically examines the degree to which MFA visual arts students are being prepared for teaching. How are students preparing to become college art faculty, and what professional development programs are provided to graduate art students to help them teach art at the college level? These are questions that were the background context of this dissertation study. This study took the form of a cross-case analysis that employed qualitative and descriptive case study traditions. Data were collected from multiple sources: primary documents and semi-structured interviews with nine MFA students, six studio art faculty members, and three administrators at three MFA programs. This study presented findings of: (a) the pedagogical preparation offered to graduate students by the selected art schools; (b) the perceptions of graduate art students, studio art faculty, and administrators regarding the quality of current academic career preparation, specifically for teaching, in their MFA programs; (c) the insights of those participants into the most important characteristics of college teaching preparation; and (d) suggestions by the participants for the best practices that lead students to become successful college art educators. Based on the findings through an analysis of the learning and practical experiences of MFA students and the perspectives of faculty and administrators, I hope that the study will extend the field’s understanding of the state of college teaching preparation in higher art education.