An investigation into the contribution made by primary art coordinators to the development of the teaching of art: the evolution of identities, understanding and practice Peter Gregory A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the Doctorate in Education of the University of Greenwich June 2014 i I certify that this work has not been accepted in substance for any degree, and is not concurrently being submitted for any degree other than the Doctorate in Education (EdD) being studied at the University of Greenwich. I also declare that this work is the result of my own investigations except where otherwise identified by references and that I have not plagiarised the work of others. Student ………………………………. (signature) Supervisor …………………………… (signature) ii Acknowledgements I would like to take the opportunity of acknowledging all the coordinators in the primary schools who so generously participated in the data collection and answered so many of my questions. At last the story is told! I also want to thank those who have helped me by fostering my research interests, assisting me in the refining and honing of my studies and those who have supported me throughout the whole process of development. Firstly my thanks are due to my parents who provided me with both art-making materials and cultural opportunities from an early age. Thank you for teaching me to listen, question and reflect. More recently, I have appreciated the provocation, support and wisdom of my tutors throughout this doctorate – especially my supervisors Neil Hall and Francia Kinchington. Together they have helped to shape my thoughts and allowed the study to mature. I would also like to thank the members of the EdD cohort as well as the global community of art educators (especially in the National Society for Education in Art and Design [NSEAD] and the International Society for Education through Art [InSEA]) who have listened to me talking about this subject for so long. Most importantly, a huge thank you is due to my family who have allowed me so much time to work on this project. To my daughter Esther who helped with the transcription of the interviews. And lastly, to my wife Lyn, a very special ‘thank you’. Without her encouragement, patience, tolerance and understanding this study would not have been possible. iii Abstract The study is situated within a feminist paradigm to consider the identity, experience, practice and understanding of art and design coordinators (also known as subject leaders) in primary schools across the South East of England. A postal survey was sent to the 550 primary schools involved in partnership work with a single university and yielded a return rate of 40.7% (n = 224). The survey included elements of common practice by coordinators of all curriculum subjects as identified by Fletcher and Bell (1999) to allow comparison. These were analysed using the Chi-Square Test to establish statistical differences in the recorded responses. The emergent themes were explored through individual interviews with 32 teachers, allowing deeper probing. A number of the interviewees took part in a further interview discussion which explored their understanding and attitudes towards artworks (n = 25) by looking at images based on the work of Downing and Watson (2004). Of these, 17 coordinators allowed close scrutiny of their paper files, folders and records for analysis. Additionally, 9 advisory personnel (including inspectors, advisors, ITE tutors and an author responsible for publishing a practical developmental guide for coordinators) were interviewed to provide a wider context for the study. The qualitative and quantitative data collected from these opportunities revealed issues which clearly link to factors of power, gender and knowledge within patriarchal structures. These are considered in some detail in an attempt to faithfully present the individuals and the situations encountered in the study. There is a strong sense that the primary teachers leading art and design have not been adequately heard before and that earlier attempts to record their views have been subdued, edited or even deleted by those with the power to make such choices. The research study concludes with a series of recommendations for further developing the role, particularly for those based in schools; the art coordinators themselves and the professionals involved in ITE/CPD work demonstrating how the understanding and application of the model of empowered leadership proposed by Thurber and Zimmerman (2002) might facilitate improvement. iv Contents Acknowledgements iii Abstract iv Contents v List of Tables xiv List of Figures xv List of Appendices xvii Abbreviations used xviii Notes on terms used xxii Notes on quotations and coding used xxii Chapter 1 Introduction: planning the composition 2 1.1 Introduction 2 1.2 Values, beliefs and approaches 2 1.3 Current Professional context 4 1.4 Background to the study 5 1.5 Rationale 5 1.6 Research question 7 1.7 An outline of the study 7 1.8 Theoretical framework 8 1.9 Contribution to the field 9 1.10 Chapter summary 10 v Chapter 2 Literature Review (part one): developing the picture 11 2.1 Introduction: search strategy 11 2.2 The development of art and design in English primary schools 13 2.3 Understanding leadership 15 2.3.1 Understanding leadership: International arts education 16 Title 16 Role and attributes 17 Advocacy 18 Beliefs 18 Professional development and training 19 2.3.2 Understanding leadership: the UK Context: across the primary school or through subjects? 21 2.3.3 Understanding leadership: ‘Leading from the Middle’ 23 2.3.4 Understanding leadership: coordinators or subject leaders? 28 2.3.5 Summarising understanding leadership 31 2.4 Leading art and design in primary schools 32 2.5 Strengthening leaders of art and design 38 2.6 Interconnections 39 2.6.1 Interconnections: Foucault and issues of power, knowledge and gender 39 2.6.2 Interconnections: women and art in society 42 2.6.3 Interconnections: women and educational leadership 44 2.6.4 Interconnections: teachers’ identities, beliefs, attitudes and the teaching of art 49 2.6.5 Interconnections: a summary 55 2.7 Published research: what is already known about subject vi leaders in the UK? 55 2.8 Ofsted inspections and the leading of art 58 2.8.1 Introduction 59 2.8.2 Reports 1993-1995 60 2.8.3 Reports 1996-1999 61 2.8.4 Reports 2000-2008 62 2.8.5 Summary of inspection reports 67 2.9 Further studies of art coordinators 68 2.10 Chapter summary 69 Chapter 3 Methodology: preparing the canvas 71 3.1 Introduction 71 3.2 The research question 71 3.3 Theoretical positioning: terminology 72 3.4 Identifying a paradigm 73 3.5 Discounted paradigms 74 3.6 Preferred paradigm 77 3.6.1 Feminism as a theoretical framework for research 77 3.7 Justification and implications of the feminist paradigm 80 3.8 The ontological, epistemological and methodological assumptions of feminism 83 3.8.1 Concluding assumptions 86 3.9 Research strategy 87 3.9.1 Phase 1: pilot study (preliminary investigation) 87 3.9.2 Phase 2: postal questionnaire survey 88 3.9.3 Phase 3: interviews, interview discussions and discourse vii analysis of file contents 88 3.10 Research design and instruments 90 3.10.1 Phase 2: postal questionnaire survey 90 3.10.2 Phase 3: interviews 91 3.10.3 Phase 3: interview discussions about images of artwork 92 3.10.4 Development of a novel instrument 93 3.10.5 Phase 3: textual discourse analysis 96 3.11 Ethical considerations 97 3.12 Validity 98 3.13 Limitations of the study 100 3.14 Process of data analysis 100 SPSS and Chi Square Test 100 NVivo 101 3.15 Chapter summary 101 Chapter 4 Presentation of initial findings: first marks on the canvas 103 4.1 Introduction 103 4.2 Questionnaires 103 4.2.3 Demographics of the sample 103 4.3 Interviews 106 4.3.1 Main interviews 106 Identity 107 Allocation of role 107 Agency 107 Role 108 Budget 108 4.3.2 Interview discussions about images of artworks 108 viii 4.3.3 Interviews with art advisors / inspectors 109 Poor training 110 Coordination of art 110 4.4 Documents 111 Lack of agency 111 Uncertainty 111 Lack of coherency 112 4.5 Emerging discourses 112 Power and agency 112 Ignorance / insufficient understanding 113 Low status and isolation 113 4.6 Chapter summary 113 Chapter 5 Literature Review (part two) Revising the picture: locating the invisible 114 5.1 Words of explanation 114 5.2 Making the invisible visible: the backdrop 115 5.3 Enhancing the picture 117 5.4 Common threads 122 5.5 Chapter summary 124 Chapter 6 Reflective interlude: perspective and composition 125 6.1 The researcher within 125 6.2 Relating with the researched 127 6.3 Considering the evidence 131 6.4 Chapter summary 134 ix Chapter 7 Overall picture: coordinator identity 135 7.1 Introduction 135 7.2 Sources of evidence 135 7.3 Background information 136 7.3.1 Gender 136 7.3.2 Age 137 7.3.3 Education 138 7.3.4 Initial Teacher Education (ITE) 139 7. 4 Teaching: competing demands and impact 142 7.4.1 Teaching – experiences of appointment to the role 142 7.4.2 Teaching – the timing of appointment to the role 145 7.4.3 Teaching – responsibilities in school 146 7.4.4 Teaching – amount of time given and pay as a reward 151 7.5 Organising lives and filing papers 152 7.6 The external view 153 7.7 Life outside school 154 7.7.1 Life outside school: hobbies 155 7.7.2 Life outside school: families 155 7.8 Conclusions 157 7.9 Chapter summary 157 Chapter 8 Overall picture: coordinators’ understanding of art 158 8.1 Introduction 158 8.2 Findings and discussion 158 x 8.2.1 Stated beliefs 158 8.2.2 Inferred attitudes and beliefs 160 8.2.3 Similarities and differences 160 8.2.4 Attractions and dislikes 164 8.2.4.1 Colour 165 8.2.4.2 Recognition 165 8.2.4.3 Access to narrative 166 8.2.4.4.