Students in Kuwait are not taught art history in schools and know very little about their cultural heritage. This study developed a formal curriculum unit which introduced a traditional women’s craft into the art curriculum for girls in Kuwait. The aim was to use art history to increase their understanding of their cultural heritage and of their female identities and roles in society. The action research methodology involved collaboration with three local primary art teachers, a professional weaver and a Kuwaiti education expert. The actions, in order, were: researching art education theory, policy and practice; researching and developing curriculum content (Alsadu artefacts); designing an experimental curriculum unit and teaching materials; implementing the unit in a school and evaluating it formatively; then refining the curriculum materials and revising and modifying aspects of the model. The curriculum was then implemented again and summatively evaluated before the research questions were answered. Key findings were as follows: first, art history as such cannot be introduced into art education in Kuwait yet, because there is no expertise in this field and it is not an established discipline; second the Year Five Art curriculum can, however, accommodate the Western theory and practice of art heritage and cultural education by focusing on Bedouin culture and including a traditional women’s craft; third, because Kuwait society deals with gender issues differently, Western theories about women and crafts have to be modified before they can be transferred. Thus, the research ended by recommending educational policy makers to promote cultural learning instead of art history, through school trips to museums in particular. Because the action research methodology worked so well in this curriculum experiment, educational policy makers are recommended to apply it more widely in schools.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:580544 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Malajmi, Fatema |
| Publisher | University of Roehampton |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | https://pure.roehampton.ac.uk/portal/en/studentthesis/teaching-cultural-heritage-through-craft-in-kuwaiti-primary-schools-for-girls(34e8f729-5c90-4039-89e7-4e58d7cd0577).html |
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