This field study of two-year-old children using art materials
in a preschool setting was concerned with how children constructed
meaning about the art-making process through their interactions
with others. The study was theoretically grounded in the work of
George Herbert Mead, Herbert Blumer and Lev Vygotsky, who share a
common view that meaning is socially constructed through
interpersonal interactions. The study focused on children’s early
use of art media and their social interaction as a significant
factor in their artistic expression.
Monthly videotaped and written observations documented four
2-year-aids’ participation with art media during their attendance
at weekly parent-2-year old program. Over two subsequent years,
the data were expanded to include observations of additional 2-
year-aids, and parent and teacher interviews. Observations in a
3 and 4-year-old classroom coupled with extensive teacher
interviews provided insights into teachers’ assumptions and values
which guided their interactions. Observations of the 2-year-olds
were coded into art episodes, and analyzed in terms of behaviours,
interactions, and values.
Based on Vygotsky’s idea that children’s shift from biological
development to higher cognitive functioning occurs through
interpersonal interaction, children’s exploratory use of materials
was described. Analysis of their explorations revealed that
intentionality and visual interest were crucial components in their
art experiences. Analysis suggested that children as young as 2 years possess aesthetic sensitivity. There did not appear to be
any single factor that could account for children’s selection or
placement of colors or marks on a piece of paper.
Social interactions around art-making occurred within spatial-temporal
frames which contributed to the way the art-making context
was defined by the participants. Through interpretations derived
from interactions with peers and adults, children constructed
understanding about cultural values for work, production,
ownership, and neatness. They learned little about art skills or
the relationship of their art-making experiences to art in the
adult world.
The study concludes with presentation of an interactionist
model of children’s artistic expression which describes the
dialectical relationship between biological development and social
interaction. The model eliminates the need to debate issues around
innate or cultural origins of children’s visual expression,
through its inclusion of biological and social components. Using
the interactionist model and Vygotsky’s notion of scaffolding can
help teachers address conflicts surrounding the definition of
developmentally appropriate art education for young children.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/3220 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Tarr, Patricia R. |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
Page generated in 0.0021 seconds