STUDENT REPRESENTATION OF ART CONCEPTS THROUGH

MIND MAPS

Paige V. Baggett, Ph.D.pbaggett@usouthal.edu

University of South Alabama

National Art Education AssociationMinneapolis, MN

April 20, 2009

STUDENT REPRESENTATION OF ART CONCEPTS THROUGH MIND MAPS

In this mixed methods study the researcher explored art concepts represented through open-ended concept/mind mapping by 3rd through 12th grade students. All 218 students participating were enrolled in public schools in the southeastern United States. Each student-generated concept/mind map was analyzed quantitatively indicating number of nodes, levels, symbols, and colors generated. Additionally the content of the nodes was analyzed to discover themes representing the students’ representation of art.

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STUDENT REPRESENTATION OF ART CONCEPTS THROUGH MIND MAPS

Of interest was the choice of art concepts and how they developed through grade levels. Students represented their feelings about art; art processes in which they had engaged; tools for art productions; elements and principles of design; and artists. Students represented what they had been exposed to through art education.

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Mind Maps

Concept mapping, as a tool to visualize and communicate conceptual understanding, has been extensively studied. According to Rye (1995), concept mapping can aid learners to think about relationships between concepts. Variations on concept mapping such as Mind Mapping®, which include the elements of color and symbols, are less evident in literature, but provide relevant possibilities for applications in content domains such as art education.

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Literature

According to Eisner (2002), "Inviting students to use their imagination means inviting them to see things other than the way they are. And this is what artists do; they perceive what is, but imagine what might be, and then use their knowledge, their technical skills, and their sensibilities to pursue what they have imagined" (p. 199). Art-making is a matter of continual experimentation and problem solving (Arnheim, 1969).

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Research Question

United States (US) emphasis on high-stakes testing has decreased the occurrences of art learning in US schools (Baggett & Shaw, 2008). As educators working with preservice teachers in the current educational climate, the researchers wanted to know: What do US students know about art?

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Participants

All 218 students participating were enrolled in public schools in the southeastern United States. The grade levels were 3-12. Fifty-three percent of the participants were male; 47% percent female. The ethnicity of the participants was 15% African American, 4% Asian, 70% Caucasian, 3% Hispanic, and 8% reported other.

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Method

A practice concept/mind mapping exercise was completed with students.

Students were asked to draw a new concept/mind map using either science or art as their central concept.

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3rd Grade Female

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6th Grade Female

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7th Grade Male

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7th Grade Male

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8th Grade Male

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8th Grade Male

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9th Grade Female

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11th Grade Female

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Table 1.Mean of nodes, levels, symbols, and colors used in mapping by grade level__________________________________________________________________________________________ Grade Level Node M Level M Symbol M Color M

Third 12.24 1.71 3.88 5.88

Fourth 13.82 1.97 5.38 6.03

Fifth 19.97 2.23 3.75 5.75

Sixth 13.18 1.85 3.03 4.70

Seventh 15.67 1.75 1.17 3.38

Eighth 22.23 2.41 1.55 4.95

Ninth 14.00 1.50 .70 2.20

Tenth 17.00 2.56 1.11 1.33

Eleventh 14.55 1.95 1.64 3.23

Twelfth 13.60 2.00 .00 2.40________________________________________________________________________________________  17

Table 2.Mean of nodes, levels, symbols, and colors used in mapping by gender__________________________________________________________________________________ GenderNode M Level M Symbol M Color M 

Male 13.92 2.03 2.41 3.99 

Female 17.55 1.96 3.15 5.29

__________________________________________________________________________________

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Art Themes Analysis of the art content represented

revealed most often the description of what “art is,” with words such as creative, imagination, and fun.

Subject matter represented in art, and supplies utilized were the second most represented themes. Students represented things in their environment: family, pets, flowers, and trees.

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Art Themes The art processes were represented with

drawing being listed most often at every grade level. As in science, evidence of knowledge and skills was apparent as students included the processes of shading, cross-hatching, and stippling.

The elements color, line, and shape were listed and examples were provided more often in the maps of 3rd – 7th graders.

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Art Themes As students got older, they listed more

artists, and works of art. Vincent Van Gogh was listed most often, followed by the Mona Lisa and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Also in the higher grades, the overall definition of art expanded as student listed design, technology, architecture, theater, dance, music, and musicians, increasingly.

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Art Themes Most often, elements of art such as color, line,

and geometric shapes were symbolically represented with color in the early grades.

Also, the common subjects, flowers, pets, trees, were visually represented.

In the older grades, a few students with skill in representational drawing chose to create a wordless map, representing their skill in drawing.

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Questions for further research:

What is the perceived value of art knowledge?

Is this lack of knowledge due to emphasis on high-stakes testing in reading and math?

How do students best represent their knowledge in a subject matter domain?

What types of assessments best reflect student learning?

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References

Arnheim, R. (1969). Visual thinking. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Baggett, P.V., & Shaw, E.L. (2008). The art and science of Gyotaku: There’s somethin’ fishy goin’ on here. Science Activities,45(1), 3-7.

Eisner, E. (2002). The arts and the creation of mind. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Rye, J. A. (1995). Concept maps and concept mapping. Appendix A. Retrieved June 9, 2008, from http://www.ed.psu.edu/ci/Papers/STS/gac-6/amapgd.htm

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