Running head: A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS RESEARCH PAPER

A Childs Drawing Analysis Research Paper Kellie Godfrey University of Missouri

A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS RESEARCH PAPER A Childs Drawing Analysis Research Paper Art is an integral part of what it means to be human, as history can show us that people have been creating art since the earliest humans have been around through cave paintings, pottery, etc. It is a way to record and feel the human experience and is preserved for posterity to analyze and appreciate. This view of art can also be applied in elementary schools because it is just as important for students to create art as it is for world-famous artists. Elliot Eisner (2009) makes a case for art in schools and describes it as another form of literacy which provides another way to be in the world, another way to form experience, another way to recover and express meaning (p. 6). Encouraging art in the classroom and paying attention to the artwork and progress of students can help teachers understand their students better on an individual and developmental level. My class was given samples of real elementary student drawings and we were to choose a specific drawing to take a picture of to analyze and research in order to see what the artwork said about the childs development. In partners, we examined our drawings and helped each other decide which stages our students may be going through based off characteristics in the drawings. I will be looking closely at my students drawing to perform an analysis of what is likely to be my students age range based upon my research of childrens art interpretation and meaning at different developmental stages. Description and Analysis My students drawing appears to involve an animal, most likely a cat judging from facial and body characteristics, with wings, a sky, a sun, grass or ground, and a few other unidentifiable shapes. There are also markings indicating $23 (see Figure 1 below). When my partner and I originally looked over this drawing, we concluded that the student was probably in what Brittain

A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS RESEARCH PAPER and Lowenfeld (1970) would describe as the preschematic stage, because the picture was visually similar to samples of other elementary drawings at this developmental stage. It was similar because the examples for the preschematic stage looked somewhat realistic but lacked overall accuracy in smaller details, such as the cats wings. However, after further researching the stages, I realized this drawing follows the characteristics of the schematic stage much more closely than the preschematic stage.

Figure 1: Student drawing sample. This drawing exhibits multiple baselines through the scribbles under the cat and along the bottom of the page and the scribbles on the top of the page that seem to represent the sky because there is a sun near it. The open space in the middle seems to show an understanding of space between the ground and sky. There is no distinct overlapping in the drawing, besides the scribbles on scribbles, and the child exhibits overall organization of object placement within the drawing. Even though there is not a human form in the drawing, the child drew the correct number of legs a cat would have, and included a tail, meaning that the child is relaying his or her accurate concept of a cats form into their art, although they also seemed to have added wings or

A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS RESEARCH PAPER something similar as well. All of the above characteristics fall into Brittain and Lowenfelds (1970) description of the schematic stage, and because they go together in a realistic fashion, this also means the students environment is being symbolized because they are drawing the grass, sky, sun, and air as they have personally experienced it outdoors. Some of the most distinguishing developmental characteristics, such as the multiple base lines, also fit into what Luehrman and Unrath (2006) label the Symbol Making Stage, in which symbol development becomes more detailed and meaningful through baselines, multiple viewpoints, and fold-over drawings (p. 68). This stage is important for understanding a childs development because it shows they are aware that objects or symbols in drawings can hold meaning, and adding details or further developing these can create completely different meanings. Again, this is another example of how art is a form of literacy to young students. Besides assessing a students development, student artwork is also a way for the teacher to become more literate in regards to who their students are, for example, looking at this drawing I might infer that this student has pets at home and is wishing to express that in his or her drawing, or it may just symbolize an experience they have once had. I have clearly acknowledged the students development likely belonging in the schematic stage, but it is important to note that developmental stages are generalizations meant to be descriptive of tendencies among large group of children and should not be rigidly interpreted, but rather flexibly referenced as a general guide (p. 8) as said by Luehrman and Unrath (2006). A childs drawing cannot tell you everything about where the child is developmentally, but it can offer you, as the teacher, some valuable insight. Art can be a window for teachers to see their students on a very personal and individual level because they are creating based on their learning and life experiences. Most student art will likely contain characteristics from multiple

A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS RESEARCH PAPER developmental stages so teachers should look for progress rather than strict requirements of stage of development. To paraphrase Jalongo and Isenbergs (2010) data of appropriate creative assessments, these assessments should acknowledge student accomplishments, allow opportunity for every student to succeed to some degree, show progress, identify skills needing more development, and emphasize discussion and self-reflection (p. 121). Some students may have a more difficult time writing ideas and discoveries or they may struggle when given a formal test assessment, so using art to gauge their learning should be considered as a viable alternative in some cases. Conclusion I have learned that paying attention to your students drawings and artwork can tell you a great deal about how they are developing and may be helpful in determining what stage the student falls into. But, I also realized that this is not a black and white process and hard assumptions should not be made about a child just based upon how they are drawing. I have gained much insight looking deeper into my students work because I had been mistaken about their developmental stage before starting the project. Art is essential and I would like to incorporate it into as many lessons as possible because I agree with Eisner when he says it is another form of literacy, as I stated in my introduction. As young student, I looked forward to our weekly art class and find that art still intrigues me and pushes my thinking further when I examine or create it. As a teacher, I hope to exemplify the importance and meaningfulness of art to my students. Art allows students to express themselves while also applying other learning concepts enriching the learning experience for both the student and teacher.

A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS RESEARCH PAPER References Eisner, E. (2009). What education can learn from the arts. Art Education, 62(2), 22-25. Isenberg, J. P., & Jalongo, M. R. (2010). Creative thinking and arts-based learning: Preschool through fourth grades (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Lowenfeld, V., & Brittain, W. L. (1970). Creative and mental growth. New York: Macmillan. Luehrman, M., & Unrath, K. (2006). Making theories of childrens artistic development meaningful for pre-service teachers. Art Education. 59(3), 6-12.