University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 5-2008 The Benefits of Integrating Math Content into the Elementary Art Curriculum Valerie C. Sigmon University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons Recommended Citation Sigmon, Valerie C., "The Benefits of Integrating Math Content into the Elementary Art Curriculum. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2008. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/446 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Valerie C. Sigmon entitled "The Benefits of Integrating Math Content into the Elementary Art Curriculum." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Master of Science, with a major in Teacher Education. E. Stephanie Cramer, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Patricia Davis-Wiley, Ralph Brockett Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Valerie C. Sigmon entitled “The Benefits of Integrating Math Content into the Elementary Art Curriculum.” I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, with a major in Teacher Education. ______________________________ E. Stephanie Cramer, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: _______________________________ Dr. Patricia Davis-Wiley _______________________________ Dr. Ralph Brockett Acceptance for the Council: _________________________________ Carolyn R. Hodges, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official student records.) THE BENEFITS OF INTEGRATING MATH CONTENT STANDARDS INTO THE ELEMENTARY ART CURRICULUM A Thesis Presented for the Master of Science Degree University of Tennessee, Knoxville Valerie C. Sigmon May 2008 1 For K.R., and the other children who deserve a chance 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am fortunate to enjoy the friendship and support of many good people. Sincere thanks go to these individuals who taught, advised, counseled, and sustained me during this study: my advisor and friend, Dr. Stephanie Cramer; thesis committee members Dr. Patricia Davis-Wiley and Dr. Ralph Brockett; professor Dr. John McCook; Art Supervisor Dr. Fred Patterson; Principals Lisa Light and Brenda Reliford; teachers Karen Anderson, Angela Ballard, Tanya Coats, Frances Frazor, Brenda Hitchcock, Nancy Lindsay, Myra Pickett, Amy Pipkin, Liz Sims and Debra Thompson; Math specialist Micki Dunn; Curriculum Instruction Facilitator Susan Thayer; Evaluation Specialist John Beckett; Thesis Consultant Jennifer Spirko; Brenda S. Lawson from the University of Tennessee Office of Research; husband Tim; sons Andy and Perry; mother, Thera Carr; and friends David and Linda Dietz. 3 ABSTRACT School accountability has become critical under the No Child Left Behind Act. As struggling schools strive to reach mandated proficiency levels, is it possible for an art teacher to contribute toward students‟ success by integrating math content into art lessons? This study attempts to show that without schedule changes, additional funding, or added training, an art teacher can support the efforts of classroom teachers as evidenced by increased scores on standardized math tests. The research used a Non- Equivalent Groups Design and examined pre-test and post-test scores for two groups of students. The population for this study is 3,800 elementary school children who attend Project GRAD schools. The experimental group which received integrated instruction is a convenience sample. It is comprised of 360 students who attend the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades at two of the Project GRAD schools. The control group is made up of 3,440 students who did not receive the experimental instruction. The test scores were analyzed using t- test for normal distribution of scores, and a confidence level of .05 was selected. The results of this research indicate positive results from integrating math content into the elementary art curriculum. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................. 1 SURVEY OF THE SPECIFIC PROBLEM AREA ............................................................ 1 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 2. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM .......................................................................... 7 3. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY ...................................................................................... 7 4. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY............................................................................ 8 5. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY.............................................................................. 8 6. ASSUMPTIONS ....................................................................................................... 11 7. PROCEDURES......................................................................................................... 12 8. DEFINITION OF TERMS ....................................................................................... 12 9. ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY ....................................................................... 15 CHAPTER TWO .............................................................................................................. 16 REVIEW OF LITERATURE ........................................................................................... 16 1. CURRICULUM INTEGRATION AND THE VISUAL ARTS .............................. 16 2. NO CHLD LEFT BEHIND ...................................................................................... 21 4. TOYOTA PRODUCTION SYSTEM....................................................................... 23 CHAPTER THREE .......................................................................................................... 25 METHOD AND PROCEDURES ..................................................................................... 25 1. POPULATION ......................................................................................................... 25 2. SOURCE OF THE DATA ........................................................................................ 27 3. PROCEDURES......................................................................................................... 28 4. METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS ........................................................................ 32 CHAPTER FOUR ............................................................................................................. 33 DATA ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................... 33 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 33 2. RESEARCH QUESTION I: .................................................................................... 36 3. RESEARCH QUESTION II: .................................................................................... 46 4. RESEARCH QUESTION III:................................................................................... 53 CHAPTER FIVE .............................................................................................................. 65 5 CONCLUSION AND RESEARCH IMPLICATIONS .................................................... 65 1. SUMMARY ........................................................................................................... 65 2. CONCLUSIONS.................................................................................................... 66 3. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY............................................. 67 LIST OF REFERENCES .................................................................................................. 70 APPENDIX ....................................................................................................................... 75 Appendix 1 .................................................................................................................... 76 KINDERGARTEN Tennessee VISUAL ARTS Content Standards and Student Performance Indicators ............................................................................................. 76 Appendix 2 .................................................................................................................... 79 GRADE 1 Tennessee VISUAL ART Content Standards and Student Performance Indicators................................................................................................................... 79 Appendix 3 ...................................................................................................................