This study examines the interrelationships among art, play and "real" life, as perceived by young children. Twenty-one children aged four and five in their first year of formal schooling in Ireland, were observed during art-related play activities and classes over a period of four months in 2004. Research data consisted of art works…

In the present action-research project, three teachers and the researcher engaged in a series of meetings to analyze children's drawings from several different theoretical perspectives, or "readings." Using two interrelated processes, deconstructive talks and an ethic of resistance, the teachers purposefully sought to recognize and…

Recently, artwork of child artists from the Carrolup settlement school in Western Australia was rediscovered in the archives of the Picker Art Gallery at Colgate University. The young artists were among what was then called the half-caste children and now known as the Stolen Generation. Between the late 1800s and mid 1970s the Australian…

Twenty-two 5- and 6-year-old children and their parents in one playschool in Reykjavik participated in this study designed to shed light on children's and parents' views about their early childhood program. Group interviews, children's photographs, children's drawings, and a questionnaire administered as a game were used to elicit children's…

The first thing a visitor notices when entering Hollytree primary school is the art-work displayed on every wall. This paper, based on a three-year ethnographic study of the school, mobilizes field notes and interview and photographic data to probe the meanings of this visual "display". We argue that the walls (re)produce and promote…

Research related to how young children's drawings change and develop is well documented and an extensive literature on this area can be traced back to the nineteenth century. Most of this literature, however, focuses on developmental aspects and largely fails to explore what would seem to be an essential ingredient in each drawings…

In this paper we examine the place of art in curriculum for young children of refugee families, but not from the relatively common art-as-therapy position. Instead, art is presented as a language that can provide young children with the means to engage with learning, build identity and tell their stories. This approach bypasses the deficit…

This article concerns the ways in which pre-school children use the visual arts to portray their understanding of politicians. The purpose of this research was to discuss children's drawings of politicians using semiotic analysis. The use of semiotic analysis was based on the need to understand the nature of the drawings and their relation to the…

This paper describes a developmental arts activities program for preschool children centered on traditional Greek arts. The program's elements include discussion and observation of traditional arts, collection and categorization of textile materials, manipulation of the materials, production and work with the materials to construct various designs…

In this article, the author discusses the importance of Viktor Lowenfeld's influence on her research, describes visual anthropology, gives examples of her research, and examines the implications of this type of research for teachers. The author regards Lowenfeld's (1952/1939) early work with children in Austria as a form of participant observation…

Drawings on a set subject by Singaporean children were analyzed for correspondence with, or deviation from, the 14 categories used by Elliot Eisner in his 1967 study "A Comparison of the Developmental Drawing Characteristics of Culturally Advantaged and Culturally Disadvantaged Children." Masami Toku's 20 Categories of Spatial Treatment…

Studied drawing strategies used by children ages 2 to 4 in Singapore nurseries and kindergartens using experiments and naturalistic observation. Found that during period when children are supposedly "scribbling," they make systematic investigations of visual structure and develop a cluster of representational strategies involving patches…

Mao's dictum on the nature and use of art is followed closely in the area of children's art education. (MM)

This study analysed 9 to 11 year old children's drawings of tropical rainforests immediately before and after a visit to the Humid Tropics Biome at the Eden Project, Cornwall, UK. A theoretical framework derived from considerations of informal learning and constructivism was used as a basis to develop a methodology to interpret the children's…

Posters submitted by school-age children to poster contests sponsored by the Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario were analyzed to gain insight into children's beliefs regarding the effects of alcohol use. (Author/MT)