Examining critical and creative thinking of high school students making art in a learner-directed art class.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to provide a close up examination of high school students' critical and creative thinking during the process of making art in a learner directed class where students were encouraged and supported to make decisions about content, technique, and media.;The study is grounded in phenomenology and draws from ethnography and arts-based research methods. Data were gathered ethnographically about the class and situational context of the art making process. A photo-elicitation interview technique drew information from participants about the decisions they made during the course of their art-making experience. Data were analyzed for phenomenological themes in relation to participants' critical and creative thinking while making art.;Results of the study are provided as detailed portraits of the artistic process of ten high school art students. The narrative portraits drawn in this study results rely on both verbal and visual data.;Students engaged in critical and creative thinking within the context of making choices about content, media, and processes; judging their progress based on criteria; setting goals for their work; generating ideas for possible solutions; solving artistic problems to meet goals; and through talking with peers and their teacher. Themes of critical and creative thinking in participants' experiences further extant research in relation to the works of Ennis (2004), Hetland, Winner, Veenema, and Sheridan (2013), Jaquith and Hathaway (2012), Marshall (2010), Paul and Elder (2007), and Walker (2004) filling a gap that was revealed in a paucity of research done in this area from students perspectives. Themes emerging from engagement with the data included transitioning between multiple ongoing artistic processes and reasons for doing so. Future research should examine secondary students' long-term development of a thematic body of artwork with special attention to the emergent theme of multiprocessing. The findings were used to develop suggestions for fostering reflection and critical and creative thinking in learner-directed curricula.