A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF THREE SECONDARY ART TEACHERS' CONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF VISUAL LITERACY AS MANIFESTED THROUGH THEIR TEACHING WITH ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGIES BY CHING-CHIU LIN B. Ed., National Pingtung Teachers College, 1997 M. Ed., National Taipei Teachers College, 2003 DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Art Education in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Elizabeth M. Delacruz, Chair Professor Bertram C. Bruce Professor Michael Parsons Associate Professor Klaus Witz ABSTRACT This qualitative case study examined and described three technologically competent, secondary-level visual arts teachers' insights into the notion of visual literacy in the information age, and how this notion manifests through these teachers' teaching praxis with art and technology in their classroom and school environments. The study participants included both the three art teachers and selected students who were in these teachers' art and technology courses at the time of the study. The study results indicate that these teachers interpret visual literacy as a collective term that describes what students should learn in contemporary society, but that they do not engage the visual literacy language as it is framed in academic discourse. Rather these teachers derive their idea of visual literacy from their own teaching experiences with students, from their conceptions about the schools and communities in which their students live, and to provide a unified learning experience and prepare students for their future. Hence, these teachers' achievements go beyond developing students' visual competencies to embrace a holistic experience of teaching and learning that involves such themes as student voices, trusting relationships with students, community engagement, lifelong skills, connections with lives, contexts of particular teaching praxis, and richness of teacher knowledge. The findings also show that these art teachers' notion of what students should learn in the information age (i.e., these teachers' notion of visual literacy) embraces a sociocultural approach, emphasizes student development of higher order thinking skills in connecting art and lived experience, and fosters student ability to integrate multiple literacy skills and multimodal communication in media production and analysis. In ii response to the larger context of teaching and learning, the findings also suggest the need for a healthy human and technical infrastructure in public schools, recognition of the value of both old and new media in art and technology classroom integration, and a shift in staff professional development away from technically oriented workshops to more content-oriented modules that exemplify content-specific technological applications. This investigation also produced findings and questions beyond the original research queries that contribute to the study significance. These findings imply that the situational and holistic engagement of learning with technology challenges the usefulness to teachers of the term visual literacy as it is posited in academic discourse and questions the value of predetermined educational ends that accompany that visual literacy scholarly discourse. iii To the teachers that participated in this study, who have shown me the strengths of being an art teacher, and to those of them who strive to help students make sense of their lives through art iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the individuals who have contributed to the completion of this dissertation. First, I would like to show my sincere appreciation to my committee members for their support, inspiration, and guidance during my journey in producing this work. I am greatly indebted to my academic advisor and thesis director, Dr. Elizabeth Delacruz, who has acted as a mentor, teacher, and friend to me by providing insightful feedback on my writing and offering intellectual support throughout my doctoral study. I also extend my appreciation to my other committee members, Dr. Chip Bruce who always believed in me and my work, Dr. Michael Parsons who showed me the role model of a humble scholar, and Dr. Klaus Witz who dedicated countless hours reviewing the study data with me. Their scholarship and mentorship have been precious in strengthening this work and inspiring me as a person. Second, I would like to thank the faculty members in the Department of Art Education, School of Art and Design-Dr. Paul Duncum, Dr. Laurel Campbell, Dr. Julia Kellman, and Ms Marsha Biddle-for their support throughout my pursuit of a doctoral degree at the University of Illinois. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my family and friends who have encouraged and supported me in a variety of ways. Special thanks also to the teachers and students that participated in this study for their generosity in sharing their wisdom and experience. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LISTS OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... ix LISTS OF FIGURES .................................................................................................... x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................... 5 Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................... 8 Research Questions ............................................................................................ 9 Limitations of the Study ................................................................................... 11 Significance of the Study .................................................................................. 12 Dissertation Overview ...................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................... 15 Art Teachers' Use of Electronic Technologies in Art Education ..................... 15 Electronic Technologies as a Tool in Art Education .......................... 17 Electronic Technologies as a Medium in Art Education .................... 19 Visual Literacy and Art Education ................................................................... 25 Identifying Visual Literacy and Its Significance ................................. 25 The Changing Notion o/Visual Literacy in Relation to Art Education ...................................................................................... 32 Expanding the Scope of Visual Literacy .......................................................... 42 Intertextuality o/Visuallmages .......................................................... 42 Expanded Notion 0/ Literacy .............................................................. 46 Summary ........................................................................................................... 54 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .............................................................................. 56 Research Methods ............................................................................................ 56 Research Design ............................................................................................... 58 Participants ......................................................................................... 58 Data Collection ................................................................................................. 65 Observations ....................................................................................... 66 Interviews ............................................................................................ 69 Collection o/Student Work and Teacher Materials ........................... 72 Data Analysis .................................................................................................... 73 Coding ................................................................................................. 73 Case Reports ....................................................................................... 74 Cross-Case Analysis ........................................................................... 75 Summary ........................................................................................................... 75 CHAPTER 4: CASE REPORT ................................................................................... 76 Case One: Liz ................................................................................................... 76 Prelude ................................................................................................ 76 The Teacher ........................................................................................ 80 The Classroom .................................................................................... 94 VI The Students ...................................................................................... 107 Epilogue ............................................................................................ 120 Case Two: Chris ............................................................................................. 122 Prelude .............................................................................................. 122 The Teacher .....................................................................................