Reports on a study of seven preschool children engaged in drawing activities with traditional media (crayons, felt-tip pens, etc.) and a mouse-driven computer paintbox program. Finds that the same basic media-independent strategies are used when children try to establish a relationship between their mark-making actions and the resultant effects.…

Discusses attempts to correct perceptions of scientists and science among fourth-grade students. Efforts to advance the view that girls and people from various ethnic backgrounds could become scientists met with some success. After they were presented with information on a range of scientists, students drew pictures of scientists that were more…

Examined the mechanisms of peer influences on fifth-grade children's drawings. Observed the socio-collaborative processes by which children influence each other's artistic styles; found gender differences in content, technical quality, and meaning. (JPB)

The use of young children's art work in the assessment of reading readiness was studied through a qualitative research design. Subjects were 12 transitional-first-grade students from an elementary school, each of whom was treated as a case study. Artwork was collected from each child each month of the school year and reading levels were recorded.…

The case study of Nadia, an autistic child, documents the phenomenally accurate drawings she made. Nadia's precocious drawing capacity raises questions about the drawing hypothesis adhered to by F. Goodenough and D. B. Harris and Gestalt theories of perception and representation. The argument is made that Nadia drew realistically because she…

This document consists of the two issues of the journal "Visual Arts Research" published in 1995. This journal focuses on the theory and practice of visual arts education from educational, historical, philosophical, and psychological perspectives. Number 1 of this volume includes the following contributions: (1) "Children's Sensitivity to…

This qualitative study investigated the medium of drawings as a methodological technique for visual data analysis. The study explored graphical symbols as an additional source for descriptive, interpretive inquiry. The design focused on gaining insight into the perceptions of adolescents' experiences as expressed by the visual narratives in their…

Presents three studies of children's ability to create and detect expressions of emotion in drawings. Compared to younger children, older children used more strategies, experimented with line and color, and were more likely to explore themes of death, aging, and illness. Includes sample drawings and statistical tables. (MJP)

Studies the employment of collage by young children as a symbolic activity in organized educational settings. Establishes a taxonomy of collage types and observes their development in two kindergarten classes. Concludes that collage promotes the acquisition of a flexible sequence of skills and reflects a range of abilities and approaches. (DSK)

A study examined how children's understanding and use of written language and graphic/constructive art are embedded in the social world of their classrooms and how they explore the potential of communication systems (specifically, what socio-psychological strategies they use). Subjects were 21 3- and 4-year-old children of faculty and staff at a…

Environmental influences on the development of children's reflective capacities and their knowledge of freehand drawing were investigated among preschool, kindergarten and first-grade children. One aspect of the social context of drawing was considered: the interactions that take place when children draw in the company of peers. Tapes of…

Reports a research project that uses photography in media education at the elementary school level. Outlines why photography is an appropriate medium and describes projects and games the children used to explore the meaning of photographs, particularly those in the family album. (KM)

Analyzes drawings by children from a Dutch East Indies exhibition in 1937 organized by educator Johan Toot. Divides the drawings thematically and discusses how the drawings are influenced by various cultures. Describes how Johan Toot worked to replace rote learning with an activity-based education. (KM)

Examines the way first-year public high school students drew the human figure from life, photographs, and copies of master drawings. Finds that the three referents were not significantly different in supplying information to learn specified art elements. Maintains that drawing from life needs to be reexamined. (KM)

Investigates the role of women in U.S. art education by focusing on the art education contributions of Eugenia Eckford Rhoads. Presents a biographical sketch and describes her published works. Questions the role of sexism in how art educators judge the success or failure of a professional career. (KM)