Reviews the historic role of the federal government in support of the arts and music education from 1790 to the early 1960s and recent cooperative ventures between artists and art educators. Federal support resulted from practical, economic, and cultural necessity. In the future, it may result from aesthetic necessity. (AM)

Describes an attempt to use two theories of literary criticism as a research strategy for interpreting art. Paul Ricoeur's interpretation theory and Northrup Frye's Anatomy of Criticism were adopted as approaches to the problem of understanding religious or mystical paintings by Norman Adams. (AM)

There are different types of copying, some involving artistic behaviors and some not. It is important to differentiate these types, separating the replication of conventions from more inventive artistic behaviors. A framework for such examination is applied in a group of pilot studies involving children copying comic strips. (Author/RM)

This publication presents manuscripts and research reports by graduate students. Accompanying papers from their mentors establish a context for the student papers. In this volume the works are organized by sponsoring university. Student papers presented are: (1) "A Naturalistic Study of Art Choices in a Preschool Setting" (Karen Thomas);…

This paper presents findings from a longitudinal, participant-observation study of one boy's spontaneous drawings from preadolescence to adolescence. Themes related to adolescent developmental psychology emerge in the drawings. Concludes that doodling and memory drawing permit imaginative play and free ideation while drawing from pictures…

What types of considerations are appropriate for selecting artists to represent key themes in the history of art? How do minority artists in the United States fit into this selection process? Previously, most art history courses and texts emphasized the highlights of significant creative expression as evolving in the Western world antiquity. In…

Current beliefs about how children draw emphasize the importance of drawing from memory, rather than from observation. However, an experiment with children aged seven to nine showed that observation drawings included greater detail and complexity. More research on observation drawing is recommended. (IS)

This publication presents manuscripts and research reports by graduate students. Accompanying papers from their mentors establish a context for the student papers. In this double volume the works are organized by sponsoring university. Student papers presented are: (1) "Looking, Talking, and Experiencing Art with Preschoolers" (Shari…

This paper briefly reviews the concept of cognitive style and then analyzes Witkin's theory on Psychological Differentiation, examining its possible use for research in art education. Cognitive style refers to individual differences in the processes by which knowledge is acquired. According to Witkin's Psychological Differentiation theory,…

After reviewing the purposes and methods of educational research, the author outlines the areas of basic research relevant to arts education: cognitive and developmental theory, learning, and teaching as a human interaction. He briefly considers the role of the National Institute of Education in delineating and supporting research. (SJL)

In a theoretical and philosophical discussion, the author examines the results of two drawing exercises he used with elementary students. Exercise One, "blind contour" drawing from life, was based on child-centered art learning theory. Exercise Two, copying an artwork, emphasized the learning of graphic conventions and cultural forms. (SJL)

The author notes a trend in educational research away from the scientific model and toward new designs emphasizing process, context, personal, and qualitative concerns. He describes the approach he uses at Stanford, educational connoisseurship or educational criticism, and outlines its basic components: discernment, description, interpretation,…

Examines the need for and the feasibility of a visual arts degree through distance education based on experiences at the University of Southern Queensland (Australia). Highlights include a theoretical background and a survey of art educators that addressed methods of instruction, feedback, face-to-face contact, and assessment. (Contains 20…

This monograph is the outgrowth of a conference that explored research concerns related to multi-cultural and cross-cultural contexts in art education. In the monograph, presentations are organized into three sections. Section 1 deals with basic research methods and methodologies, and introduces new methodological perspectives for consideration.…

A recent study suggests that the broad idealistic educational objectives voiced by states and districts are a far cry from what is really being taught in classrooms. The question that now must be faced is what we want schools to teach. (JM)