ERIC Number: EJ1011378
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-May-15
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1529-8094
EISSN: N/A
Toward Meaningful Education: Investigating Artful Behavior as a Human Proclivity in the Classroom
Blatt-Gross, Carolina
International Journal of Education & the Arts, v14 n7 May 2013
Because students spontaneously exhibit aesthetic and rhythmic acts in the
classroom and human beings across the world have engaged in the arts for
thousands of years, this study argues that artful behavior represents an inherent and significant human proclivity. Exploring the tension between the human predisposition and the physical and mental limitations of traditional formal education, this cross-disciplinary study seeks to understand how artful behaviors might represent an intrinsic part of human nature and how such proclivities might inform educational policy and practice. Based on an
ethological understanding of art (that is, as a behavior rather than an object), this research employs an interpretivist lens and phenomenological design. Data collection methods include observation, participant observation, and teacher interviews in a pre-kindergarten and third grade classroom of an urban public school system. Ultimately, this study aims to understand artful behaviors as they are embedded in educational contexts with the intent of bridging the gap between our natural inclinations for learning and the methods utilized in mainstream education. (Contains 8 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Art, Student Experience, Preschool Children, Elementary School Students, Grade 3, Child Behavior, Ethology, Evolution, Preschool Teachers, Elementary School Teachers, Interviews, Observation, Participant Observation, Urban Schools, Public Schools, Aesthetics, Music, Interpersonal Relationship, Art Education, Educational Environment, Student Attitudes, Age Differences
International Journal of Education & the Arts. 1310 South 6th Street, Champaign, IL 61820. Tel: 402-472-9958; Fax: 402-472-2837; Web site: http://www.ijea.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education; Elementary Education; Primary Education; Grade 3
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A