Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio State University, 1986. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 231-236). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

The purpose of this study was to discern the topical content and educational content level of selected presentations given at National Art Education Association conferences and to identify the gender, level of involvement, and occupational background of participants who provided this information. The printed content of nineteen national conference bulletins published from 1951 through 1980 was analyzed to identify presentations and participants that focused on art education teachers, students, and programs in preschool through grade twelve.

Texas programs in pre-service art teacher preparation vary little. Since 1970, the National Art Education Association (NAEA) has created voluntary standards in hopes of decreasing variability among programs. In 1999, the NAEA published Standards for Art Teacher Preparation, outlining 20 content areas that art pre-service programs should provide their students. To obtain information on the implementation and the extent to which these 20 standards are being implemented, a questionnaire was sent to all programs in Texas. The 20 standards were the dependent variable for the study. The four independent variables used in this ex post facto study were: the size of the institution where the program exists; the number of full-time art faculty; the number of full-time art education faculty; and, the number of undergraduate art education students who graduated last year. The 20 standards or provisions were scored on a Lickert scale with six options: zero (not taught) to five (comprehensively taught). The response size (N = 23) was 47% of the state's 49 approved programs. The results from the survey suggest no significant difference among programs. However, the results showed a significant difference in the number of provisions taught between programs with no art educators and those with 1 to 3 art educators. One art educator seemed to increase the number of pedagogical provisions taught but did not increase the extent or enhance the degree to which each provision was taught. A comprehensively taught response to the NAEA provisions on the questionnaire was further investigated through analysis of catalog course descriptions and correspondence with participants. The results are estimated in credit hours and indicate that there may be a point where time on task decides the limit that constitutes a comprehensive preparation. Perspectives on content are discussed and regarded as too subjective to define comprehensive preparation. Comprehensive time on task varies with content, which may imply an unconscious marker of time shared by educators that defines a comprehensive preparation for each provision. Changing and local standards in art pre-service programs may have produced a range of interpretations regarding the meaning of "comprehensively taught.";