An Analysis of the Perceptions Held by School Personnel of Arts Programs in One School District
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University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-1986 An analysis of the perceptions held by school personnel of arts programs in one school district. Gloria Caballer-Arce University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation Caballer-Arce, Gloria, "An analysis of the perceptions held by school personnel of arts programs in one school district." (1986). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 4067. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/4067 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN ANALYSIS OF THE PERCEPTIONS HELD BY SCHOOL PERSONNEL OF ARTS PROGRAMS IN ONE SCHOOL DISTRICT A Dissertation By GLORIA CABALLER ARCE Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION May 1986 Education Gloria Caballer Arce 1986 All Rights Reserved AN ANALYSIS OF THE PERCEPTIONS HELD BY SCHOOL PERSONNEL OF ARTS PROGRAMS IN ONE SCHOOL DISTRICT A Dissertation By GLORIA CABALLER ARCE Approved as to style and content by: Luis Fuentes, Chairperson of Committee / f Sonia.Nieto, Member Josephus V.O. Richards, Member Mario D. Fantir/i, D< School of Education To Miguel 1\on IvU i,tnengtk, love, and limitte** undent landing duAlng ttvU dififiicult pnoce64 and Anaida a lifetime &nlend and the bat note model any woman could even have iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my deep appreciation to the Chairperson of my Committee, Dr. Luis Fuentes, and the other two members, Dr. Sonia Nieto and Dr. Josephus V.O. Richards. Their comments, insightful questions and support were invaluable. I would like to thank the respondents in my study for their time and efforts on my behalf. My deepest gratitude goes to Nancy Kaminski for an excellent con¬ tribution in the typing of this dissertation. My love and appreciation also go to my family for their understand ing and support. I would like to thank my family in Texas, the Arce's, for their understanding, their support, and, most important of all, their prayers This acknowledgement would not be complete without the mention of one of my best friends, Linda Ann Molier, for her love and unwavering faith in me. My heartfelt thanks to all those other wonderful friends and acquaintances who stood by me. v ABSTRACT An Analysis of the Perceptions Held by School Personnel of Arts Programs in One School District (May 1986) Gloria Caballer Arce, B.A., State University of New York at Binghamton M.S., Fordham University Ed.D., University of Massachusetts Directed by: Professor Luis Fuentes This study addresses arts programming within the United States public school system, with the particular goal of assessing the perceived needs of a group of administrators and teachers in the secondary school system of Holyoke, Massachusetts. An extensive review of the literature examines the role of the arts in American public schools since the 1800s, paying particular attention to the integration of the arts into the curriculum and to the role of multicultural education as a means of promoting intercultural understand¬ ing. In an attempt to satisfy the need for information about the contri¬ butions of ethnic and racial minorities to the arts, a section is included which gives an overview of the development of the arts among Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Black-Americans. The conclusions drawn from the review of the literature show that: educators have long been unsure of the role of the arts within an inte¬ grated curriculum, with many feeling that the arts are a "frill"; there is a consequent lack of support for the arts from those who control vi budgets; the arts have long been defined in Western European terms; there is little attempt to include the artistic contributions of racial minori¬ ties . A questionnaire was developed to assess the needs for arts program¬ ming at the secondary level in one school district with a culturally diverse student body. After testing a pilot survey, this questionnaire was distributed to teachers and administrators in one high school, one vocational high school, and two junior high schools. Of 255 instruments distributed, responses came from 67 teachers and 21 administrators. The results of responses to both closed and open-ended questions, together with six demographic factors, were analyzed. The findings indicated that the district administrators were more likely to favor the inclusion of the arts in the curriculum. Teachers would support arts programming more readily if they were provided with better training in the form of inservice workshops, access to college courses, and the provision of adequate equipment and materials. In the same vein, there was an apparent lack of communication between teachers and the central administration: teachers were largely uncertain that any support for arts programming existed at the district level. A very high percentage of both teachers and administrators indi¬ cated that study of different cultures' art styles could lead to better intercultural understanding. Most of the respondents, however, felt their own knowledge inadequate for introducing minority artistic contri¬ butions in their own classrooms. Finally, some recommendations for improving arts programming are made. vi i TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDEMENTS . ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION . LIST OF TABLES . LIST OF FIGURES . CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION . 1 The School, Multicultural Education, and the Arts ... 1 Background of the Problem . 3 Statement of the Problem . 6 Purpose of the Study. 12 Definition of Terms. 14 Significance of the Study. 15 Delimitations of the Study. 17 Organization of the Study. 18 II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE . 21 Part A: General Overview of the Arts in Education Since the 1800s . 21 The Pioneers . 22 The Act of 1870 and Industrial Drawings . 29 The Child Study Movement and the Integration of Art Into Education . 34 The Influence of Expositions . 37 Early Twentieth Century Personalities . 40 The Owatonna Art Education Project . 46 The 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s . 50 Part B: Multicultural Education and the Arts Since the 1960s . 54 Historical Background: What Were the Factors that Influenced the Philosophy of Multicultural Education? . 56 The Myth of the Melting Pot . 59 The Development of Multicultural Education . 64 The Laws for the Implementation of Multicultural Education . 65 The Role of the Courts . 67 xiii CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE General Overview of Multicultural Education and the Arts . 69 Multi cultural ism Through the Arts Since the 1960s . 70 Multicultural Arts Programming and Its Impact on Cultural Diversity Learning and Self Image . 82 General Attitude of the Schools Regarding the Arts . 83 The Role of the Arts in the 1980s . 85 The Successful Development of Discipline- Based Art Programs . 88 The Reasons for Disci piined-Based Art Education 90 Part C: Overview of Minority Contributions to the Arts . 92 The Need for Cultural Awareness and Understanding . 93 Ethnic Minority Contributions: A Brief Historical Perspective . 95 Case Study 1: Puerto Ricans . 96 Case Study 2: Mexicans . 105 Case Study 3: Blacks . 120 III. METHODOLOGY . 146 Pilot Test . 147 Subjects . 148 Instrumentation . 148 Data Collection and Recording . 149 Data Processing and Analyses . 150 Methodological Assumptions . 150 Limitations . 151 152 IV. FINDINGS . 152 Overview of Results . Demographic Analysis . : . 152 Perceptions of Present Arts Programming (The Needs It Addresses) . .. 156 Goals for Arts Programming According to Teachers and Administrators . 158 163 Open-Ended Questions . ' 177 Summary of Chapter . ix CHAPTER V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS . 180 Brief Summary. 180 Conclusions. 183 Recommendations for Future Research . 186 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY . 188 APPENDICES. 199 A. COVER LETTER. 200 B. CONSENT FORM. 202 C. PILOT STUDY.'. 204 D. SURVEY. 207 E. REQUEST PERMISSION LETTER AND LETTER OF RESPONSE . 217 F. LETTERS TO PRINCIPALS OF PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS . 220 G. RESPONDENT THANK YOU LETTER . 225 H. REQUEST FOR RESEARCH INFORMATION AND LETTER OF RESPONSE. 227 x LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Demographic Data . 153 2. School Administrators' and Teachers' Perceptions of Present Arts Programming: The Needs It Addresses .... 157 3. Goals for Arts Programming According to Teachers and Administrators. 164 4. Open-Ended Question No. 5: What Do You Think the Goals of Arts Programming Should Be?. 169 5. Open-Ended Question No. 6: In Your Opinion, What Are the Needs That Should Be Addressed Through the Arts in Your School?. 170 6. Open-Ended Question No. 7: Do You Think It Is Important to Address the Different Needs of a Culturally Diverse Student Population Through the Arts? If So, Why? If Not, Why Not?. 171 7. Open-Ended Question No. 8: What Community Resources Can You Tap Into That Would Enhance the Arts Program in Your School?. 173 8. Open-Ended Question No. 9: Do You Think That the Arts Program in Your School Needs Improvement? If So, How Would You Improve It?. 175 9. Open-Ended Question No. 10: What Kind of Arts Programming Would You Like to See Taking Place in Your School (s)?. 176 xi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Graphic History of Art Education in the Public Schools of the United States: 1821-1923 . 41 2. Percentage of People Who Believe That the Outlined Subject Areas Should Be Taught for Credit in the Public Schools. 88 3. The Development of Puerto Rican Art. 103 4. Mexican Art of the New World. 118 xii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The School, Multicultural Education, and the Arts Children can be motivated and stimulated visually and creatively through the universal language of art. Art has served as the major means of expression for countless civilizations, from the early art found in caves to the architectural achievements of the ancient Egyptians to today's modern art.