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Running Head: CREATIVITY AND SKILL

Extending Creativity and Skill

in the Middle School Art Classroom

Laura Buscemi

Towson University
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Extending Creativity and Skill

in the Middle School Art Classroom

I really do love what I teach, which I guess is why I sometimes struggle with it. Each day,

I am able to interact with, educate, and maybe even inspire 158 free thinking, emotionally driven

teenagers. The worst part of the day comes when a skilled student raises a hand in the air, looks

up expectantly, and asks “can I be done now?” In a sense, the class developed to help them grow

as artists has robbed them of the autonomy necessary to decide if and when they have finished.

This attitude often hinders the work of a talented student, causing them to rely on what they’ve

found to be ‘good’ or ‘right’ in the past, preventing them from extending their learning into new

areas. Upon entering middle school, students begin to seek out more autonomy, while teachers

push more direct instruction and controlled rubrics (Pennisi, 2013, p. 128). With student decision

making reduced and testing increased, middle school students may begin to take on more

negative views of school over time (Way, Reddy & Rhodes, 2007). These negative views cause a

decrease in student engagement, motivation and satisfaction, which in turn impedes learning

(Way, Reddy & Rhodes, 2007).

Allowing students to find meaning within their work can create an environment where

success is seen within the process, not the product. Not all students will be able to thrive in the

traditional art classroom, as experience, fine motor coordination, personal interest, and vision

differences can cloud one’s ability to create realistically rendered pieces of art (Murray, 1983).

By emphasizing process over product, students can begin to see themselves as successful in their

own ways. Providing students with an expertly facilitated, and not overly directed, place to

engage in the artmaking process, motivation struggles due to perception of failure have been

shown to subside (Fleming, Gibson, Anderson, Martin & Sudmalis, 2016). As Pennisi (2013)
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found, students truly disliked the “passive absorbing of teacher information” (p. 133) given out

in so many core and special area classes. Students hated listening to “teacher talk” all day, and

would begin to tune out in classes where constant lecture, or heavily teacher directed

assignments were prevalent.

Current literature does well to look into the attitudes and behaviors of students in the

generalized art setting, but what about those students who have already found success within the

regular art class? Buscemi (2015) found that many skilled students surveyed were reluctant to

move outside of their art related comfort zone by trying new strategies, or even new materials.

Needing to be proud, or “at peace” with one’s own art was a popular theme among students, as

well as a desire to avoid being “bad”. As cited by Buscemi in a 2015 student interview, a student

identified the thought of their own art being “bad” as a strong deterrent “because if you think that

you’re bad at it, then you’re not going to really care about your artwork, and you won’t put as

much effort into it as you would if you were proud of it” (personal communication, April 20,

2015). Looking at this statement, this student has identified work that they consider “bad” as

work that they are unable to be proud of. Most newly learned skills or strategies won’t produce

instant success, so how can these already skilled students push past those feelings of good and

bad when trying to learn something new? What causes a middle school student to push

boundaries and extend creative ideas within the art classroom? Within these questions, I will also

explore in what ways art teachers can promote divergent thinking while still guiding students to

learn important skills.

Literature Review

To help a group of disengaged students succeed, A.C. Pennisi and a New York middle

school art teacher, referred to as George, created a negotiated curriculum as an action research
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project with 24 eighth grade students. Pennisi and George observed these students over the

course of the year, and through interviews, observation, audio recordings, class discussions,

finished art, and written self-assessments, were able to gain a better understanding of the

engagement problem facing this class of students (Pennisi, 2013).

As part of this study, educators were called to “negotiate engagement” (Pennisi, 2013, p.

128) through the use of a curriculum developed in collaboration with students. By becoming an

active participant in their own education, students were able to form connections with their art,

and provide their own attainable structure and goals within the art room. Students were asked to

define what art was, and the definitions were posted around the room in their own words. The

students had a voice, and that voice was one that was heard and respected by their teacher.

Rector-Aranda (2014) defines voice as far more than a student’s ability to speak. The term voice

“describe[s] the ability, mode and/or right of individuals or groups to make their ideas, opinions,

emotions, perspectives and needs known to others” (p. 809). Within George’s classroom,

students knew that their thoughts and opinions were respected and held up as expectations for all

to follow. Respect for student voice continue to be a theme throughout the study, as students

were able to negotiate a set of themes, number of works, choose materials, and assign deadlines.

Just as student voice was respected, respect for the teacher was also elevated. George provided a

set of “non-negotiables” (Pennisi, 2013) that students would need to follow to provide them with

a deeper understanding of the art making process. They were required to plan before execution,

and reflect at each step, providing students with a more profound perspective on their own work.

Specific skills were taught as they arose, and no process or technique was presented out of

context of a well thought out idea or project. The connection made between what was happening

in the classroom, and what was happening in the real world gave the students an understanding
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that what they were doing had more relevance to their lives than just making a pretty picture.

They were expressing thoughts on difficult subjects like war, family, reality and friendship

(Pennisi, 2013, p. 132).

No longer was a set of skills taught to students without regard for individual thought, and

lessons were seen as “support for their ideas, not ends in themselves” (Pennisi, 2013, p. 133).

Throughout the course of the study, Pennisi (2013) and George found students did struggle with

ideas and concepts, but did not provide heavy handed assistance. Instead, students persevered

through their problems in a way that adult artists and creators would. This allowed students to

take full ownership of their artwork, creating a renewed sense of pride in each of their creations.

Students stated that they felt the class was “more important” than others, because it was about

“what we think and want” (Pennisi, 2013, p. 133).

Students within a study of eighth grade students conducted by Levine (2009) also walked

away with positive thoughts about their own self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is defined as one’s

ability to control “motivation, behavior, and social environment” (Carey & Andrew, 2015). In

order to study student engagement in artmaking, Levine conducted an action research study by

providing students with four open-ended art problems to choose from. Levine defines an open

ended art problem as “a question or statement focused on the elements of an artmaking process

that challenges students to make choices and generate original ideas” (p. 13). In addition to

students making choices throughout the duration of the project, a choice was made during the

initial stages, as students were able to select from four different problems. During this study,

Levine (2009) discovered that students remained engaged because their work had meaning to

them. They were able to connect what they were doing and creating to their personal lives. Their

specific project also gave them a chance to show something personal to their audience, and did
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not focus entirely on perfectly rendered shapes or spaces. By providing students with a

framework for making art, but not defining each step, Levine (2009) allowed for “open-ended

solutions and aesthetic outcomes” that both encouraged and engaged her students. The success of

this project was further evident in the interviews conducted at the conclusion of each piece.

Students expressed pride in their art, and were able to identify what aspects of the project they

most enjoyed. There was no “best” part of the project for everyone, as each student found

themselves invested in a variety of different parts and materials throughout the project. Choice,

in the case of this project, was the ultimate key to success.

The concept of individual choice as motivation was also discussed in the research of

Hafeli, Stokrocki & Zimmerman (2005) in their study of the learning strategies practiced by

middle school art teachers. While not as tied to personal narrative and negotiated curriculum as

Pennisi (2013), Hafeli et. al (2005) still found that personal choice and autonomy was a powerful

motivator in the classroom. Teachers within this study frequently adapted assignment

requirements, differentiating to account for skill level and “in service of expressive ideas”

(Hafeli et. al, 2005). Students responded to open ended problems and material choice, a

sentiment echoed in Burton’s (2001) national survey of secondary art teachers. In this

quantitative study, teachers across the nation were asked to respond on a number of teaching

strategies, including motivation and inspiration. Seventy-six percent of teachers found that

“working with a variety of media and processes” was very effective in “motivating and inspiring

students in art” (Burton, 2001). Nineteen percent of respondents still found this strategy

effective, but did not label it “very effective” (Burton, 2001). Overall, ninety-five percent of art

teachers found variety of media to be an effective motivation and inspiration tool.

In addition to small scale qualitative studies, large scale research projects are also moving
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towards understanding the role of creativity and imaginative thinking within the classroom. The

Role of Arts Education in Academic Motivation, Engagement and Achievement research project

was conducted over the span of four years, and dedicated itself to understanding what role the

arts, and imaginative thinking, play in students futures. While many curriculums do not identify

imaginative thinking directly, it is directly tied to many core concepts and ideals vital to 21st

century education (Fleming et al., 2016). Researchers are beginning to understand the

importance of risk taking and mistake making, core tenants of imaginative thinking, within

modern society. They are now looking to provide the proof necessary to get it into educational

standards. Fleming, Gibson, Anderson, Martin & Sudmalis (2016) set to embark on a lengthy

research project to identify high performing arts classrooms across Australia in order to pinpoint

techniques that produced higher order imaginative thinking. Teaching practices tied to these

classrooms are believed to be integral to the development of the student ready for the modern

world (Fleming et al., 2016). Overall, Fleming et al. continued to discover what studies before

had emphasized, increased student autonomy and choice allowed for increased engagement in

tasks, less fear of failure, and more imaginative responses.

Over emphasis on teacher directed lessons and prescriptive activities cause students to

pull away from wanting to learn, promoting negative views of school and self (Way, Reddy &

Rhodes, 2007). Through the effective use of student input into project design, choice in selection

and usage of materials, student engagement can thrive. The creation of a true to life studio

environment where artists create with autonomy and helpful critique will provide them with

learning far beyond the acquisition of specific material skills. These students will learn to

persevere, to analyze, make informed decisions and reflect throughout the entire process

(Hathaway, 2013). Autonomy is necessary for creative artistry. It may also be what is necessary
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to pull students away from the learned concept of self-appointed good and bad art. As cited in

Fleming et. al, ‘the risk of failure necessary for true creative exploration’, a risk which many

students are unwilling to take. Without full range of creative exploration, even the potential of an

already skilled artist is greatly weakened.

Guiding Question

It has been proven that mixed ability classroom settings thrive when students are given

the chance to be sucessessful, but what about the students who have already found success, but

now fear failure in other areas? In order to help these students push past self-imposed barriers,

this study proposes to identify characteristics, attitudes and classroom factors that help influence

skilled students to reject the idea of bad, seeing errors as room to grow.

Method

Participants

This study will focus on eighteen students between the ages of eleven and fourteen, all

enrolled in the middle school art club. Each student was selected based on their choice to engage

in art making activities outside of the required school day. Students within this group who miss

more than five meetings, or who are off task more than 30 percent of the time will be excluded

from the study. This will eliminate an student from the study that is not already dedicated and

skilled in the process of artmaking.

Measures

I plan to collect data in a variety of ways. Interviews, observations, sketchbook and

archival data will help to inform my study. By utilizing multiple methods of data collection, I can

provide credibility to my research through triangulation. Triangulation refers to this exact


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process, providing multiple sources of data in order to strengthen the validity of a study

(Merriam, 2009).

Observations. I will observe my students once a week during their art club session. My

sketchbook will serve as my field notebook, and allow my observations to be structured yet also

allow for my notes to take multiple forms. Each class, I will record what material has been used,

the type of project a student is completing, their interactions with their classmates, and

engagement with their work. Project types may be skill building activities, three dimensional

work, painting or drawing. The stage of the project will also be recorded, as some projects may

last one class, and others may go on for weeks. Student planning, sketching and production will

be noted. The material, or materials each student chooses will also be studied, as well as how

often and if materials change. As the students interact with each other and myself, I will look to

see who is providing, receiving, and or requesting feedback. Uninvited feedback from peer to

peer will also be documented. Actual engagement in their work will be defined by the amount of

time spent either directly producing or researching their work. Engagement can involve the

reference of artistic exemplars, study of past work, creating small sketches or actively producing

an elaborate piece of art. Every 10 minutes, each student will receive a small circle on their note

page if they are actively engaged, and a mark indicating what type of engagement (see Appendix

C). Behaviors other than those beneficial to their project will be recorded directly.

Small Group Interviews. Teacher led, small group interviews will be utilized during the

beginning and end of the school year. Three to five students will answer a series of semi

structured questions (see Appendix A) in order to gain insight and understanding into the

thoughts of each artist. This particular method was selected due to anxiety felt by students during
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a one on one interview (Buscemi, 2015). As the interview is intended to be semi-structured, the

questions themselves are designed to illicit thoughtful, and unique answers. Teacher presence

during the focus group will allow data collected to be as rich and informative as possible, while

still providing the students a level of comfort that they may not feel without their peers. The

focus group itself will take place twice during the school year, allowing for student perspective

before and after they have engaged in the artmaking process alongside their peers within art club.

Parent Interviews. Another important aspect of my interviewing process would be the

parent interview. Understanding my students from the perspective of their parents will help to

provide a wider outlook on their interests and motivations. A parent’s perspective is unique in

that they can provide history that their children may not remember. Information provided by

parents can also help to corroborate information provided by students, allowing for more

authentic and accurate data collection. At least one parent per student will be asked to participate

in this interview at the mid-point of the school year.

Artist Statements. Students will be asked to provide recorded artist statements at the end

of each project. The students would be asked to look at their work, spending one full minute

speaking about their art. They could choose to talk about their process, motivation, feeling on

completion or any other aspect they feel is the most important to discuss. As the projects are self-

created and self-paced, this data will allow me to see both student productivity and pace, as well

as their opinions on their work. This mode of interview will be conducted without peer or teacher

presence, and will provide students with a safe time to express themselves regarding their work

and performance.

Sketchbooks. Students are expected to keep a sketchbook for art club. Each week, a

prompt is given, and students are instructed to spend time on at least one page of their
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sketchbook working on the selected topic. The prompts are open ended, and allow students to

explore a variety of ideas, materials and procedures. Students are also encouraged to work

further in their sketchbooks than what is asked of them, and all art club participants regularly do.

Sketchbook checks will help provide valuable data that students may not be able to express

through words or observable action. The sketchbooks follow them home, to the bus, and on

vacation. They document their happiness and sadness, successes and failures. At the beginning of

each month, students will be asked to choose their favorite sketchbook page, and provide a short

rationale why this page is their favorite. To gain a wider understanding of what the student has

been working on, two pages will be selected at random in addition to the student selected page

(see Appendix D). A student’s sketchbook contains many elements to analyze, from how

productive the student has been, to material usage, to how many pages the student has removed.

Buscemi (2015) found when asked “how do you feel about your artwork?” students pointed to

their sketchbook habits as indications of growth. By noticing that they no longer felt the need to

rip pages out, they realized that they had developed as artists. For an art student to get past the

point of rejecting what they see as mistakes and learning to embrace them is a sign that they are

developing the mindset necessary to foster artistic growth (Buscemi, 2015).

Archival Data. In order to understand my students as learners, I will collect and analyze

data relating to their habits and behaviors in school outside of the art room. Attendance records,

grades and testing data, involvement in other extra-curricular activities as well as previous art

club records will be studied in order to create a well-rounded picture of each student. By

collecting academic records on each student outside of the art room, it will allow me to see if

their motivation follows them throughout the school day, or if it is more pronounced in the arts.
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Identification of other extracurricular activities will help to determine if my students are involved

in other artistic pursuits in addition to art club.

Procedures

Each student who has signed up for art club will attend club collectively once each week for one

hour following the normal school day. The first fifteen minutes of club will involve students

sharing sketchbook work that they have created following a prompt given during the end of the

previous week’s meeting. After students have had a chance to share, they will begin the

artmaking process (researching, brainstorming, or creating). During this time, field notes

regarding each students engagement will be taken every ten minutes utilizing a coded system

designed for quick observational notes (see Appendix C). Each student will self-record a one

minute long artist’s statement when they feel that they have created a finished piece. The timing

and number of statements will vary as students will be self-pacing their work.

Beginning in October and ending in May, students will select one piece from their

sketchbook to document, with two random pages being added to provide a well-rounded look at

individual progress (random will be determined by the researcher flipping sight unseen to any

page completed after the last review). Each student will provide a brief statement about why they

selected their piece (see Appendix D). October and May are also the two months that students

will be involved in small, semi-structured group interviews designed to gain insight on the

thought processes of each student. The questions will remain the same for each interview (see

Appendix A) but the amount of time between the first and last should provide additional insight

into the development of each artist over the course of the school year. Parent interviews (see

Appendix B) will be conducted once mid-year in order to help gain a wider view of each

students artistic interests.


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Design

Qualitative research as a whole moves to make meaning of specific phenomenon, allowing

participants to behave as they would in a natural setting (Merriam, 2009). Within qualitative

research, there are many types of studies that can be conducted in order to produce useful results.

To best understand the inner workings of my students, a qualitative case study is the best choice

for my area of research. Merriam (2009) defines a case study as a detailed, descriptive look into

a specific phenomenon. To be considered a case study, the research must contain a bounded

system of inquiry. Bounded refers to the fencing in of a specific area of study, where a finite set

of data will be produced in relation to a research question. The case, therefore, is not the research

question itself, but the specific set of student exhibiting a particular phenomenon.

Data Analysis

Data will consistently be examined throughout the process of data collection in order to

identify emerging themes and concepts. It is imperative to keep guiding questions in mind when

examining data in order to determine important patterns that may appear. It is also important to

realize that the guiding questions established at the beginning of this study may change as new

data surfaces, and new themes emerge. After all data has been coded and classified, significant

ideas will be discussed, and further areas of research identified.

Timeline

The study would be conducted over the course of one school year. Art club will meet

from 3:00 until 4:00 every Wednesday. Behavioral observations will be conducted each meeting,

while sketchbook checks will be done once a month. Small-group student interviews will be

conducted towards, but not at, the beginning and end of the year. Parent interviews will be

conducted mid-year.
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Anticipated outcomes

I believe that students will become more and more comfortable with their own art as the

year progresses, as it is seen that creativity and risk taking are valued. I also believe more

personal choice within projects will encourage this behavior. Students who have parents who are

encouraging of the arts will have a greater desire to push themselves than their less encouraged

peers. I am interested to see what direction that this study will take, and what insights I will be

able to learn about both my students as well as myself in regards to artmaking. My fascination

with this topic has lasted for years, more or less because I see a lot of the insecurities and fears

that I experienced as a young artist in my students. I want to see what type of results this close

study of a particular type of student reveals in order for me to better support my students, as well

as better understand myself.


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References

Baer, J. (2017). Content Matters: Why nurturing creativity is so different in different

domains. Creative Contradictions In Education, 129. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-21924-0_8

Buscemi, L. (2015). Creativity takes courage. Unpublished manuscript, Towson University,

Towson, MD.

Burton, D. (2001). How do we teach? results of a national survey of instruction in

secondary art education. Studies in Art Education, (2). 131.

Carey, M. P., & Forsyth, A.D. "Teaching tip sheet: self-efficacy." Educational Resources.

American Psychological Association, 2016. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.

Fleming, J., Gibson, R., Anderson, M., Martin, A.J., & Sudmalis, D. (2016) Cultivating

imaginative thinking: teacher strategies used in high-performing arts education

classrooms. Cambridge Journal of Education 46:4, 435-453, DOI:

10.1080/0305764X.2015.1064097

Hafeli, M., Stokrocki, M., & Zimmerman, E. (2005). A cross-site analysis of strategies

used by three middle school art teachers to foster student learning. Studies In Art

Education, 46(3), 242-254.

Hathaway, N. E. (2013). Smoke and mirrors: art teacher as magician. Art

Education, 66(3), 9-15.

Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. San

Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

Levine, R. S. (2009). A closer look: student engagement in artmaking. Art Education,

(4). 13.
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Murray, J. J. (1983). Art, creativity, and the quality of education. Daedalus, (3). 129.

Pennisi, A. C. (2013). Negotiating to engagement: creating an art curriculum with eighth-

graders. Studies In Art Education, 54(2), 127-140.

Rector-Aranda, A. (2014). Voice. In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Action Research (Vol. 2,

pp. 806-809). Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com

Sen, S., Acar, S., & Cetinkaya, C. (2014). Development of the Person–Environment Fit

Scale (PEFSC): A new measure of creativity. Psychology Of Aesthetics, Creativity, And

The Arts, 8(4), 433-445. doi:10.1037/a0037724

Way, N. Reddy, R., & Rhodes, R. (2007). Students' perceptions of school climate during

the middle school years: Associations with trajectories of psychological and

behavioral adjustment. American Journal of Community Psychology 40,194-213.


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APPENDIX A

Interview Schedule for Student Small Group

Background/Demographic questions

How old are you? When did you first start getting recognized for your artistic

accomplishments? How long have your considered yourself an artist?

I understand that you are in art club. What motivated you to join?

Describe a typical art club session.

How do you think your classmates would describe a typical art club session?

Tell me about your favorite day in art club.

How do you feel about your artwork?

How do your peers react to your artwork?

Where do you see yourself as an artist in five years?

Describe your ideal art making setting.

Tell me about your favorite medium.

What do you think it means to be a good artist?

Some people don’t believe that art has a place in school. What would you tell them?
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APPENDIX B

Interview Schedule for Parent

Background/Demographic questions

Do you have any experience creating art? Were you recognized for your artistic

accomplishments? Are any of your household members currently pursuing new art skills

or careers?

Your child has joined art club. Describe their artistic outlets outside of school.

Describe the sources outside of school that have encouraged your child to pursue art.

What does a typical at home art making session look like for your child?

Does your child ever want to make art with you?

How does your child describe their own artistic accomplishments?

Tell me about a time when your child became frustrated with their artwork.

What impact do you feel that the arts have had on your child?

Some people don’t believe that art has a place in school. What would you tell them?
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APPENDIX C
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APPENDIX D

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