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An exploration of primary school teachers' understanding of art and the place of art in the primary school curriculum
Author(s) -
Hallam Jenny,
Das Gupta Mani,
Lee Helen
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the curriculum journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.843
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1469-3704
pISSN - 0958-5176
DOI - 10.1080/09585170802509856
Subject(s) - curriculum , style (visual arts) , pedagogy , period (music) , national curriculum , curriculum development , expression (computer science) , mathematics education , psychology , visual arts , art , aesthetics , computer science , programming language
Some research within developmental psychology shows a slow period of development in children's expressive drawings during the primary school years. Developmental researchers suggest that ‘educational factors’ could contribute to this dip in development but have not explored these factors. This study explores links between educational policy – in terms of the English National Curriculum – and the development of expression in child art. A Foucauldian style analysis of interviews is presented which investigates how ten primary school teachers working in two Staffordshire schools approach art. A specific concern is to explore how different understandings of art and teaching practices are shaped and managed by the curriculum. This allows links between the demands of the curriculum and the observed dip in expressive drawing development to be investigated.