AE3280 Statistics: Assessing Teaching + Learning ​ART ED DATA REFLECTIONS WRITTEN ANALYSIS

RESEARCHER: ​Abby Sears DATE: ​July 22 2019

INTRODUCTION: PRESENT YOUR ART ED TOPIC

Describe your Art Ed topic compiling your related research studies and literature reviews.
Why did you choose this topic?
Why do you feel connected to this topic?

The topic I chose to investigate with my quantitative and qualitative studies was the incorporation of student
interests in lesson plans. The purpose of the study was to discover if incorporating student interests into art
lessons will engage students more as well as boost participation and creativity. This topic is important, especially
for students in middle school because it allows teachers to help students realize that everyone can make art, and
it can emphasize the real world uses for art. When students are really coming into their own, finding hobbies and
interests they are passionate about, or maybe having interests that change over the course of a month, if teachers
were to incorporate student interests, it may allow students to feel more connected to a class in which they
originally thought was not for them, or were uninterested in. Teachers can incorporate student interests while
also emphasizing core concepts like art history, and the elements and principles of design. I feel connected to this
topic because I want my students to want to make art; if talking about Fortnite or TikTok or some Korean Boy
Band is what will make my students feel more invested in their art projects, I will absolutely learn that JungKook
from BTS has blood type A.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5839644/

https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1244&context=education_ETD_masters

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/4967518_Pedagogical_affect_student_interest_and_learning_perfor
mance

In all three of these research studies, the researcher suggests that interest truly do matter when it comes to the
student and their participation levels.

http://archive.brookespublishing.com/articles/ed-article-0212.htm

https://www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-methods-tips/17677-using-student-interest-inventories/

https://www.incredibleart.org/links/toolbox/practice.html

In these articles the authors give examples of why student interests matter, as well as give ways to include or
better collect knowledge of student interests.

All of the sources I found during my research gave me a confidence boost that this topic is important and can
make a difference in the lives of my students.
RESEARCH ANALYSIS: APPROACHES + COLLECTION METHODS REFLECTION
Describe the Quantitative and Qualitative Research designs you created for your topic.

For my quantitative study, my goal was to survey teachers across Colorado to learn how many teachers actually
create lessons that incorporate student interests. I would take a Quasi-experimental approach to this research
topic and would use a scaled survey to collect my data.

For my qualitative study I would be performing a case study at my school in my own classroom in order to observe
my students and learn if adding student interests in lessons would help boost student participation, engagement
and creativity. The case study would allow me the freedom and the depth I need in order to gain valuable
information. I would collect my data by conducting relaxed interviews, and more in depth focus groups which
would have an open ended questionnaire. I would also include personal journals, observations and student
artwork in my findings.

Reflect and expand your thoughts on which method you think would be best to study your topic.
Is it Mixed?

The best way to adequately perform my study would be to create a mixed methods research design. It is best to
have some hard numbers to be able to show to other teachers as well as school administrators. It is also
important to have a good amount of evidence to support your claim; although the hard numbers are nice, they
cannot show you the students actual work. Having mixed methods means I can also do my case study and show
my findings in the form of student artwork, interviews and observations.

When I was first starting to create the quantitative design I already had in mind that the result was going to be a
mixed methods research design. So I think because of that this question seemed somewhat easy to reflect on. It
just makes sense to create a mixed methods approach for subjects like art education. Everyone appreciates hard
fects, statistics and numbers, but we also need to realize that in art class, the students are not thinking about any
of that stuff. Students are thinking more imaginatively and creatively. Their ideas are free to be explored and
should not be boxed up with a pristine bow. Teachers should be allowed to show results that are just as
subjective as their students work. So in the mixed methods category we are allowed to have a wide variety of
results. Having all of these results allow for more understanding of the research question in its entirety.
CONCLUSION: FINAL REFLECTIONS
REFLECT - How do research methods and data collection impact our understanding of teaching and learning?
[PBS 5.9 Communicate a variety of assessment results]

Different research methods yield different results and depending on what you want to gain from your research
using certain methods can help get you the results you need. For example, if you need to prove the importance of
something to someone like the Super Attendant, having set statistics would be the best, they are easy to
understand and can be easily calculated; quantitative results are also best to show to someone who is not
constantly in a classroom observing. Having a quantitative design can produce easily understood results however,
for someone like a middle school art teacher who is in the classroom everyday-witnessing the students going-ons-
they may better understand the qualitative results and how the data significantly relates to their own classroom.
Collecting data and doing research experiments relating to classroom issues and activities will always benefit
every part involved. From the students to the office personal, when students learning is put at the forefront of
experiments it only means researchers want to improve the learning environment. Research methods have so
much potential and they can be used to help create better teaching and learning environments.
ART ED DATA REFLECTION WRITTEN ANALYSIS // RUBRIC

Course Standards Addressed:

PBS 2.1: Develop in students an understanding and use of: Number systems and number sense, Geometry, Measurement, Statistics
and probability, and functions and use of variables
PBS 3.2: Develop valid and reliable assessment tools for the classroom
PBS 5.9: Communicate a variety of assessment results, and their implications to students, parents, guardians, professionals,
administrators, and the community

(5) (4) (3) (2) (1)

DESIGN Exemplary Proficient/ Needs Needs Not Evident/Failing
COMPONENT Good Improvement/Fair Improvement/Poor

Concepts
Demonstrates
understanding and
application of
methods of
assessment​. (PBS 2.1)

Content
Evidence of the ability
to develop completed
written responses and
make connections
with original thought.
(​PBS 3.2)

Critical Thinking
Evidence of the ability
to challenge
assumptions,
contextualize
information, identify
problems, and
conceptualize
responses. (PBS 5.9)

Grammar and
Mechanics
Responses are
organized, written in
Standard English with
correct use of:
Grammar/Syntax
Spelling

COMMENTS:

TOTAL: ______________ / 20