Investigating Into the Culture of Assessment in the Art Classroom Of
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
A MEANINGFUL TASK: INVESTIGATING INTO THE CULTURE OF ASSESSMENT IN THE ART CLASSROOM OF THE SCHOOLS IN DENTON Ya Yang, M.ED Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS December 2012 APPROVED: Joni Acuff, Major Professor Rina Kundu, Committee Member Evans Laura, Committee Member Denise Baxter, Chair of the Department of Art Education and Art History Robert Milnes, Dean of the College of Visual Arts and Design Mark Wardell, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Yang, Ya. A Meaningful Task: Investigating into the Culture of Assessment in the Art Classroom of the Schools in Denton. Doctor of Philosophy (Art Education), December 2012, 577 pp., 141 figures, references, 200 titles. This is an enterpretivist cultural study on how the lively idea of assessment is enacted by the art teachers, students and administrators in Denton school art education, North Texas, the United States. This ethnographic research aims to extend understanding on assessment as vivid cultural and social dynamics that both reflects and enlivens varied and interconnected values promoted and shared among the people involved. Through a perspective of the culture of assessment, this study is expected to facilitate insights on art education as lived, purposeful experience bearing suggestions on a certain social environment and historical implications. Such insights as sought further illuminate specific understandings on art education in different cultural societies, such as China. From a Chinese native viewpoint, the researcher broadens her horizons on connection and independence important for informative performance of art education in the discourses of modern nation and schooling, as well as globalization. It is hoped that this study will interest other art educators, teachers, and researchers to make multiple and continuous efforts in further exploring the culture of assessment with cultural and historical consciousness and knowledge. Copyright 2012 by Ya Yang ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to take this chance to express my whole-hearted appreciation of all the instructions and encouragements given by my major professor, Dr. Joni Acuff, whose persistence, knowledge and intelligence guided me through many challenges of accomplishing this study. My sincere thanks also go to Dr. Rina Kundu who helped me initiate this research by offering me enduring inspirations on what I am interested to learn. Dr. Laura Evans provided me with insightful ideas when the result of this study underwent examination as a scholastic work, so my work would not have been much informed without her guidance either. My great thanks also go to all the art teachers, students, fine arts director, and college art professors who I met and talked to throughout my study experience. These people in Denton County generously gave me insights into the subject of my research, opened their thoughts to me, and showed me their wisdom as well as friendship. This study would not have been achieved without my mother, father, and my elder brother’s unconditional love for me. Neither would it have been realized if it was not for all the precious inspirations inherent in the arts, individuals, and culture that help shape my Chinese identity and understandings for art education. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………….….…iii LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………….……......vi Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………….…………........1 Background to My Study Statement of the Problem Overarching Research questions and Supporting Questions Role of the Researcher Definitions of Terms Significance of My Study Limitations of My Study Overview 2. LITERATURE REVIEW AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK…………….27 Introduction Modernism: An Interpreting Framework and Historical Movement Form, Function, and Postmodernism in U.S. Art Education Assessment More Than Simple: The Cultural Complexity of U.S. Art Education Inspirations for My Field Study Summary 3. METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………..…......64 Restatement of Research Questions Overview of My Study Settings of My Study Ethics and Politics of IRB Research Foundations Design and Process of My Study Summary 4. PRESENTATION OF DATA…………………………………………….……102 Introduction Art Curriculum at the Three Schools My Field Research: Data from Strickland Middle Art Classes My Field Research: Data from Ginnings Elementary Art Classes My Field Research: Data from Billy Ryan High Art Classes iv Summary of My Interview with the Fine Arts Director of Denton ISD Interview Transcript: the Fine Arts Director Summary 5. INTERPRETATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS………………………….….....264 Introduction Answering My Sub-questions Implications of Answering My Sub-questions Answering My Over-arching Question Implications Future Research Initiatives APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………….475 REFERENCE LIST……………………………………………………………….…537 v LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: In front of Strickland Middle School building…………………………...106 Figure 2: The ceiling clock & posters in the hallway of Strickland Middle……......107 Figure 3: Every student has a work bin in the cabinets………………………….....108 Figure 4: Markers, pastel, pencil, ruler & sketchbook kept in the work bin of every student……………………………………………………………………….109 Figure 5: Example of 3-D image drawing: done in Mrs. Smith’s classes………....110 Figure 6: Example of color shading practice: done in Mrs. Smith’s classes……....110 Figure 7: A drawing book of Mrs. Smith’s collection in the art room…………….111 Figure 8: Yellena James Gallery, 2012: showing strong visual appeal…………...112 Figure 9: Strickland Students’ mandalas designs………………………………….113 Figure 10: “Drawing tricks” notes: sketchbook for drawing assignments & note taking………………………………………………………………………...118 Figure 11: Student’s line drawing looking very graphic and creative……..........…119 Figure 12: Mrs. Smith giving demonstration: accurate observation and representation………………………………………………………………..120 Figure 13: Mrs. Smith’s finished example: highlight of good lines and 3-D coloring………………………………………………………………………120 Figure 14: A Chinese girl was adding shades like the teacher did………………...120 Figure 15: Students watching Matisse’s cut paper…………………………...........121 Figure 16: Students studying positive and negative spaces…………………….....122 Figure 17: The manga girl wearing sun glasses…………………………………...123 Figure 18: The manga girl holding a huge ice-cream cone………………………..123 vi Figure 19: Paper-cut example: surrealism………………………………………....124 Figure 20: American/Texas flags and color wheel hung in Mrs. Smith’s art room………………………………………………………………………...127 Figure 21: The February art window showing student’s cut paper of notan design…………………………………………………………………..…...128 Figure 22: A Spanish classroom in Strickland Middle………………………...….128 Figure 23: A butterfly banner hung on the window of the library in Strickland Middle…………………………………………………………………….....128 Figure 24: The students dashed off art project early in the morning of 3/12………131 Figure 25: Sketch plan transferred to paper………………………………….…….132 Figure 26: Cut-outs with labels of plan……………………………………………..132 Figure 27: A cut-out of construction paper compared to sketchbook plan…………132 Figure 28: Cherry blossom sketchbook drawing by Strickland Middle students…..133 Figure 29: A Ginnings elementary kid painting cherry blossom……………….......133 Figure 30: Mrs. Smith helping the 6th grade students seeking pictures online……..134 Figure 31: A “car” drawing practice about line and accurate representation…........135 Figure 32: Students’ own drawing (1)……………………………………………...135 Figure 33: Students’ own drawing (2)……………………………………………...135 Figure 34: Students’ own drawing (3)………………………………................…...136 Figure 35: Advertisement design on wall outside a café…………………………...136 Figure 36: A 7th grade student’s fiction story book: The 13th Reality……..…..…....136 Figure 37: Mrs. Smith explaining each item of evaluation…………………....……138 Figure 38: A student got a 90 from her self-grading………………….………........138 Figure 39: The 7th grade class ready for art critique………………………….…….139 Figure 40: One student’s collage critiqued in class………………………………...140 vii Figure 41: A student’s collage about boutique and jewelry…………...……......…141 Figure 42: A student’s collage about racing car on highway……………...….….. 141 Figure 43: A student’s collage about running shoe and sports…………………….141 Figure 44: Students used ruler to draw accurate lines for one-point perspective project…………………………………………………….……………...….149 Figure 45: A tessellation design done by a Pre-AP student at Ryan High…….......149 Figure 46: A “one-point perspective” drawing design by an 8th grader…………...149 Figure 47: A “one-point perspective” drawing design by a 7th grader…….…........150 Figure 48: A “one-point perspective” drawing by another 7th grader……......….....150 Figure 49: One 6th grader finishing the “Day of the Dead” face drawing……....…151 Figure 50: A grade of 100 written on a student’s drawing assignment……..…...…153 Figure 51: An outside view of Ginnings Elementary School………………..….....159 Figure 52: Posters of “school rules” and “voice level”………………….…..…….160 Figure 53: The 5th grade kids observed class rules and were busy with their work. ……………………………………………………………………………....161 Figure 54: The art tool bin in Ginnings Elementary art room……….………........162 Figure 55: The slogans in Ginnings art room…………………….……....….…....163 Figure 56: The slogans in Ginnings art room………………………..…..….….....164 Figure 57: Posters of color theory in Mrs. Green’s art room……………….......…164 Figure 58: Poster of color wheel in Mrs. Green’s