Educational Communities, Arts-Based Inquiry, & Role-Playing: an American
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Educational Communities, Arts-Based Inquiry, & Role-Playing: An American Freeform Exploration with Professional & Pre-Service Art Educators DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Jason Cox Graduate Program in Arts Administration, Education, and Policy The Ohio State University 2015 Dissertation Committee: Christine Ballengee-Morris, Advisor, Ph.D., Clayton Funk, Ed.D., Karen Hutzel, Ph.D., Jennifer Richardson, Ph.D., Sydney Walker, Ph.D. Copyright by Jason Cox 2015 Abstract This research employs American freeform role-playing games as a media for participatory arts-based inquiry into the relationships and perspectives of professional and pre-service art educators. The role-played performances and participatory discourse re- imagine relationships within a collaboratively imagined educational community that parallel ones from the professional lives of art educators, such as those between school administrators, staff, teachers, students, and parents. Participants use the roles, relationships, and settings they construct to explore themes and situations that they identify as being present in educational communities. These situations represent points of intersection between members of an educational community, such as parent-teacher conferences, community advocacy meetings, or school field trips. The data from each experience takes the form of personal reflections, participant-created artifacts, and communal discourse. By assuming various roles and reflecting upon them, participants gain access to experiences and points of view that provoke reflection, develop leadership capabilities, and enhance their capacity for affecting change within an educational setting. ii Dedication To my wife Alissa and to all of our family & friends for making this journey possible. iii Acknowledgments The guidance and insight of my advisor, Dr. Christine Ballengee-Morris, was integral to the construction of this work, as was the support and feedback of Dr. Clayton Funk, who helped put me on this path. The worlds explored in these pages wouldn’t have been conceivable to me without the input of my committee members, Dr. Jennifer Richardson, Dr. Karen Hutzel, Dr. Sydney Walker, and Dr. Christopher Bartlett each of whom have been incredible mentors to me. The encouragement I received from Dr. Patty Bode, in whose class I first applied these ideas, and the thoughtful support I received from Dr. Kenneth and Sylvia Marantz, the research herein would not exist. Furthermore I would like to thank all the scholars and larpwrights who supported me in my forays into game studies, most especially Travis Scott, whose friendship and depth of knowledge was invaluable. Lastly I want to again thank my wife, Alissa Cox, as the most amazing partner, companion, and critic I could ever hope to have. iv Vita March 1994 ....................................................Suitland High School 1998................................................................B.F.A, Maryland Institute College of Art 2006................................................................M.A.T, Maryland Institute College of Art 2012 to present ..............................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Arts Administration, Education, and Policy, The Ohio State University Awards 2015 The Manuel Barkan Fellowship Publications 2014 “Role-playing games in arts, research and education”, International Journal of Education through Art, Volume 10, Number 3. Field of Study Major Field: Arts Administration, Education, and Policy Specialization: Art Education v Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iv Vita ...................................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... x List of Figures .................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 Background .................................................................................................................... 1 Statement of Problem.................................................................................................... 6 Research Puzzles ........................................................................................................... 9 Related Literature ....................................................................................................... 10 Design of Study ............................................................................................................ 32 Significance .................................................................................................................. 39 vi Limitations .................................................................................................................... 41 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 42 Chapter 2: Literature Review ............................................................................................ 43 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 43 The discourse of power ............................................................................................... 44 Empathy as transformative tool ................................................................................ 49 Communities of play ................................................................................................... 58 Examples of contemporary communities of play in the arts ................................... 74 Game studies ................................................................................................................ 81 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 87 Chapter 3: Design of Study ............................................................................................... 89 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 89 Methodology: Participatory arts-based inquiry ....................................................... 91 Epistemology: ANT .................................................................................................... 120 Media: American freeform ....................................................................................... 125 Preparatory field work: Facilitating play ............................................................... 142 Application ................................................................................................................. 147 Data collection and presentation .............................................................................. 161 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 165 vii Chapter 4: Data ............................................................................................................... 167 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 167 Session 1 ..................................................................................................................... 171 Session 2 ..................................................................................................................... 184 Session 3 ..................................................................................................................... 199 Session 4 ..................................................................................................................... 216 Chapter 5: Data Interpretation ........................................................................................ 237 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 237 Where do power relations affect discourse in an educational community? ........ 239 How and why do individuals in educational communities align themselves with particular groups (teachers, parents, administrators, staff, students, etc.)? ....... 254 How do art educators convey solutions to personal, professional, and relational risks? ........................................................................................................................... 257 Whose understanding of the role or purpose of education should take precedence in educational communities? .................................................................................... 262 What effect