Running head: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ANALYSIS OF STUDENT ART WORK

Qualitative Research Analysis of Student Art Work

Brianna Blackmon-Peterson
Dr. Belinda Smith
LTC 4240

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ANALYSIS OF STUDENT WORK
Introduction
Analyzing student art work is important for an instructor of general education, not
exclusively the art teacher. Any educator that works with the student should be able to
understand somewhat where the student is at with their understanding and representation of art,
especially in order to integrate it into the general education classroom. The more comfortable the
instructors, like myself, become with analyzing student art, the more our students can be
encouraged and prompted to express themselves through art. This will create integrated and
effective learning in the general education classroom as well as confidence for the student (in
their artwork and beyond, hopefully).
For this assignment, we analyzed a piece of student work. We determined the Lowenfeld
stage of the students work, as well as characteristics that might be above or below that students
primary stage. This assignment gave us deeper knowledge in the traits of stages and the possible
meaning and purpose behind the students art.
The work I analyzed resembled a dinosaur. This dinosaur had a full body, a mouth with
very prominent teeth, and large claws on the feet and hands of the figure. The background
consisted of an object that resembles a tree off to the far left as well as a couple very identical
looking circular figures that look like rocks at the feet of the dinosaur. One of the most evident
features of the students art is that almost a third of the paper is blank underneath the students
drawing. Overall, it appears that the student at least has basic knowledge of dinosaurs and their
surroundings and has depicted those understandings very clearly in his piece.


QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ANALYSIS OF STUDENT WORK
Description, Analysis, Synthesis
After analyzing this students work, it appears this child is in the Preschematic Stage of
Lowenfelds stages, First Representational Attempts. Many of the traits of this stage are easily
recognized in this students work. It was obvious to me that the student was lacking proportion
and geometric relevance as the individual shapes and pieces of the art would be unrecognizable
if removed from the whole. The child also seemed to want to fill space on the page near the
dinosaur and that is what seems to have motivated his or her lack of proportion between the parts
of the dinosaurs body. The student also has objects that are floating on the pageone of the
Space Representation characteristics of the Preschematic Stage (Lowenfeld 475). There is no
base line or indication of the objects resting on something in this students piece.
Although I would place this student in the Preschematic stage most holistically, I do
believe he/she is approaching the Schematic Stage: The Achievement of a Form Concept. I
noticed while analyzing that the student fits more of the Human Representation aspects of the
Schematic Stage, rather than the Preschematic. Although the student did not draw a human in the
art piece, the dinosaur does have human-like traits. Of those traits, I feel that the student has
almost approached the Human Representation traits of the body of object being composed by
geometric shapes as well as the arms and legs being appropriately placed on the object
(Lowenfeld 476).
In the students work, the dinosaurs body is made up of a several circles for hands,
triangles for claws and teeth, and an oval for the main body. The arms and legs are mostly
rectangular shaped. In addition, the arms and legs are accurately placed on the body where a
humans arms and legs would be placed. I believe this is a strong indicator that this student will
likely be approaching Lowenfelds Schematic Stage soon, if he or she has not already. The
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ANALYSIS OF STUDENT WORK
student shows a few other signs of the Schematic Stage in the development of a concept that can
be accurately repeated and organized on the page (Lowenfeld 476). The student shows these
skills by re-creating objects (like the rocks) and not overlapping the items drawn in the piece.
In analyzing this student art, I have also categorized this piece with the stages of
Embellishing Symbols and Using Space around Objects within the Beginning Stages of Visual
Expression of Young Children by the Board of Education in Baltimore County in Art Experience
Develop Visual Expression (1974). The significance of this classification is the understanding it
gives the viewer of the student art. I know this can help me encourage my students in my future
classroom to visualize and orchestrate their thoughts and feelings through art. The stages that this
art is between focus on drawing objects of particular interest to the student and then making
intricate the details that are most important to the artist as well as creating a more finished
product by the addition of item such as borders, base lines, skies and backgrounds (Art
Experience 8). In this example of student art, the student showed skill in both of those areas. It
appears that the dinosaur is an object that interests the child, but especially the claws and teeth
which are accentuated and obviously important. The student also appears to have been satisfied
with the dinosaur enough to place other objects, although few, around the dinosaur.
It is critical for me as a future teacher to understand that the complexity and stage of a
young artist reveals a lot about their visual thinking strategies, their interests, and the likelihood
that those traits carry over into their skills and struggles in the general education classroom. The
most valued part to me about analyzing and understanding student art work is that this can aid
me in guiding instruction to encourage students to talk about, reflect on, and improve their art in
ways they desirewhich all will build their confidence and visual literacy (Johnson 74). I know
all of these tools are important as I support my future students and integrate art into my
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ANALYSIS OF STUDENT WORK
classroom. The more I know about how students express themselves through art, the more I can
extend their learning in other subjects as well.
Conclusion
Most significant of the lessons I have learned through this research and analysis is that
student art reveals much more than an image on a page. When I can understand why my students
have created the art that they have or hear them reflect on what they want to improve upon in
their art skills, I will be able to customize lessons that encourage that behavior or that literacy
through art. When students have a general education teacher that persuades and prompts them in
their art work in the regular classroom, they will likely begin to learn the significance of the arts
and visual literacy. My hope is that my students will benefit by gaining confidence, as well. I
hope to be able to question students and instruct students in ways that meet them where they are
in their art development and push them to another stage or a deeper understanding of expression.
I know that art in a general education classroom can also deepen my students knowledge of the
general subjects: math, reading, writing, and social studies. I believe that my deeper knowledge
of students development of art stages and my new appreciation for the benefits of art inside and
outside of the classroom will help my students be more knowledgeable in core subjects as well as
more confident, expressive artists.

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QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ANALYSIS OF STUDENT WORK
References
Lowenfeld, V., & Brittain, W.L. (1970). Creative and Mental Growth. New York: Macmillan.
Johnson, M.H. (2008). Developing Verbal and Visual Literacy Through Experienes in the Visual
Arts. Young Children, 63(1), 74-79.
Maryland Board of Education of Baltimore County. (1974). Beginning Stages of Visual
Expression of Young Children. In Art Experience, Development of Visual Perception, 1-
4.