ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.
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In times of fast paced technology, the ability to differentiate quality differences between a reproduction and an original work of art has new urgency. The use of digital reproductions in the classroom is a useful and convenient teaching tool, but can convey visual distortions specifically in regards to texture, size, and color. Art educators often struggle to achieve a balance between incorporating the use of digital technology and fostering an appreciation for experiences with original artworks. The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which Dewey's theory of experiential learning explains how thoroughly high school students differentiate between a reproduction and original artwork. This study also explored the influences of painting style (realistic or semi-abstract) and sequence on a student's ability to identify the differences and select a preference between the reproduction and original artwork. To obtain insight into how a student is able to differentiate between a reproduction and an original artwork, this study engaged 27 high school student participants in viewing a digital reproduction and the respective original artwork of one realistic and one semi-abstract painting at the ASU Art Museum. Analysis of qualitative and quantitative data suggests that sequence influences a student's ability to differentiate between a reproduction and original artwork. Students who saw reproductions before viewing the originals, demonstrated a more comprehensive understanding of the differences between the two presentation formats. Implications of this study include the recommendation that art educators address definitional issues surrounding the terms original and reproduction in their teaching, and consider collaborative ways to prepare students for meaningful experiences with original artworks.
ContributorsUscher, Dawn (Author) / Erickson, Mary (Thesis advisor) / Stokrocki, Mary (Committee member) / Young, Bernard (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Adolescents' clay sculpture has been researched significantly less than their drawings. I spent approximately six weeks in a ceramics class located at a high school in a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona in order to explore how gender affected subject matter preference in students' three dimensional clay sculpture. Gender studies on children's drawings reveal that males favor fantasy, violence, aggression, sports, and power, while females favor realism, domestic and social experience, physical appearance, care and concern, nature and animals. My three main research questions in this study were 1) How did gender affect subject matter in adolescents' three-dimensional clay sculpture? 2) What similarities or differences existed between females' and males' subject matter preference in sculpture and their subject matter preference in drawing? 3) Assuming that significant gender differences existed, how successful would the students be with a project that favored opposite gender themed subject matter? I found that although males and females had gender differences between subject matter in their clay sculptures, there were exceptions. In addition, the nature of clay affected this study in many ways. Teachers and students need to be well prepared for issues that arise during construction of clay sculptures so that students are able to use clay to fully express their ideas.
ContributorsMarsili, Teresa (Author) / Stokrocki, Mary (Thesis advisor) / Young, Bernard (Committee member) / Erickson, Mary (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
This study is intended as a catalyst to inspire new ways of thinking by educators, school administrators, and museum educators. It is a study of six K-12 art teachers who have both the technology and the opportunity at their school campuses to use collaborative videoconferencing as part of their instruction in multicultural art, linking their students to the resources of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. The art unit used for the purpose of this study was Latina/o art. Findings show the Smithsonian American Art Museum program to be of high quality and useful i students see the connection between identity of self and multicultural art.
ContributorsFosnight, Estelle (Author) / Erickson, Mary (Thesis advisor) / Stokrocki, Mary (Committee member) / Young, Bernard (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
ABSTRACT Art educators use a variety of teaching and demonstration methods to convey information to students. With the emergence of digital technology, the standard methods of demonstration are changing. Art demonstrations are now being recorded and shared via the internet through video sharing websites such as YouTube. Little research has been conducted on the effectiveness of video demonstration versus the standard teacher-centered demonstration. This study focused on two different demonstration methods for the same clay sculpture project, with two separate groups of students. The control group received regular teacher-centered demonstration for instruction. The experimental group received a series of YouTube videos for demonstration. Quantitative data include scores of clay sculptures using a four-point scale in three separate categories based on construction abilities. Qualitative data include responses to pre and post-questionnaires along with classroom observations. The data is analyzed to look at the difference, if any, between YouTube instruction and regular teacher-centered instruction on middle school students' ceramic construction abilities. Findings suggest that while the YouTube video method of demonstration appeared to have a slightly greater effect on student construction abilities. Although, both instruction methods proved to be beneficial.
ContributorsLee, Allison (Author) / Erickson, Mary (Thesis advisor) / Young, Bernard (Committee member) / Stokrocki, Mary (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
This study gathers the expertise of three reputable art teachers, through analysis of qualitative data collected during in-person interviews and classroom observations, as they share their experiences and insights regarding successful methods of motivating and engaging students in their beginning-level art classes. Various works of literature regarding educational motivation are reviewed, and this study begins to address the need for additional research involving this issue, as it applies to teachers of art. Commonalities between the motivational tactics of the participating teachers are discussed, as well as comparison of findings to existing literature. This may be useful to art teachers who are new to the field or who are seeking information regarding successful methods of encouraging motivation and engagement in their beginning -level art classes.
ContributorsClark, Erica (Author) / Young, Bernard (Thesis advisor) / Erickson, Mary (Committee member) / Stokrocki, Mary (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Many alternative schools for at-risk students do not offer art classes to their students. Phoenix Job Corps is one of those schools. I conducted a qualitative study about a voluntary summer art course at Phoenix Job Corps, a vocational school for at-risk students. I had thirteen student volunteers, eight of them refugees from other countries. All the participants created a narrative painting about something in their lives. The purpose of this study was to examine this voluntary summer art course and to determine its usefulness as a beneficial tool to the lives of the students. This included looking at participants' narrative paintings to determine common themes or subjects, finding out their opinions on whether or not their school should offer an art course, their willingness to share their stories, determining whether they think it's important for others to see their work, and lastly concluding what artwork they like best and why. I found that the majority of students do want an art class offered at their schools, and all but one participant was more than willing to share their story about their narrative painting. Common themes amongst their paintings were family, a specific memory or event, or their present and future lives. I found similar subject matter in their paintings such as animals, houses or huts, and people. My research also unveiled a large difference in the refugee students' paintings as opposed to the other United States participants. The findings also suggest that participants judged other work based on meaning more so than aesthetics. This study explores, in detail, the narrative art and experiences of a very diverse group of students.
ContributorsSchaller, Kimberly (Author) / Young, Bernard (Thesis advisor) / Erickson, Mary (Committee member) / Stokrocki, Mary (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
This qualitative research study was about art teachers’ perceptions and practices of cultural diversity and its implications for the U.S. The purpose of the study was to provide a rationale for the need for learning institutions to recognize the changing demographics and to respond to the potential educational implications of the new demographics as they prepare their art teachers to educate diverse student populations. The study involved six art teachers who teach in schools with students from diverse cultural backgrounds. To collect data, interviews with participants were transcribed and analyzed. Analysis of teacher interviews showed the importance of helping art teachers to obtain the skills, attitudes, dispositions and knowledge to work effectively with students from diverse cultural backgrounds. The richness of the descriptions obtained from the interviews provides insight into multicultural art education in schools. The results of this study might help art educators and policy makers understand the need for more awareness of multicultural education and its impact on teachers, parents, administrators and students. This study concludes with suggestions on art education, including the need to develop curriculum that are inclusive to multicultural students, especially Islamic from cultures. Art education programs in universities should produce teachers who are prepared for the cultural diversity in their classrooms. It is essential that teachers accept and implement changes in their communities, in their schools, and in their teaching in order to better serve students of culturally diverse backgrounds.
ContributorsMasrya, Mawadah (Author) / Young, Bernard (Thesis advisor) / Stokrocki, Mary (Committee member) / Erickson, Mary (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
The following study is about the importance of including global art and art history in a bilingual/bicultural art classroom. The study was performed with twelve Navajo art students in a predominately Navajo high school located in a small urban town off the Navajo Reservation. Navajo students selected traditional and contemporary artworks they were curious to learn more about from four global cultures, familiar (Navajo and European) and unfamiliar (Maori and Benin). They also responded to art criticism questions and identified reasons they were curious about the artworks they selected. Students were curious about familiar (Navajo and European) artworks more than unfamiliar artworks (Maori and Benin). Of all student responses, 69% focused on the artwork selected; 16% focused on meaning and expression, and 15% focused on the artist. This study concludes by suggesting that there should be a middle ground about what to teach to Navajo children. I suggest that art education should include other cultural information within the Navajo philosophy of education.
ContributorsBegody, Chrystalee (Author) / Erickson, Mary (Thesis advisor) / Young, Bernard (Committee member) / Stokrocki, Mary (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
We live in a world of rapidly changing technologies that bathe us in visual images and information, not only challenging us to find connections and make sense of what we are learning, but also allowing us to learn and to collaborate in new ways. Art educators are using one of these new technologies, virtual worlds, to create educational environments and curricula. This study looks at how post-secondary art educators are using Second Life in their undergraduate and graduate level curricula and what perceived benefits, challenges, and unique learning experiences they feel this new educational venue offers. This study uses qualitative and participant observation methodologies, including qualitative interviews, observations, and collection of generated works, to look at the practices of six art educators teaching university level undergraduate and graduate courses. Data are compared internally between the participants and externally by correlating to current research. Art education in Second Life includes many curricula activities and strategies often seen in face-to-face classes, including writing reflections, essays, and papers, creating presentations and Power Points, conducting research, and creating art. Challenges include expense, student frustration and anxiety issues, and the transience of Second Life sites. Among the unique learning experiences are increased opportunities for field trips, student collaboration, access to guest speakers, and the ability to set up experiences not practical or possible in the real world. The experiences of these six art educators can be used as a guide for art educators just beginning exploration of virtual world education and encouragement when looking for new ways to teach that may increase our students' understanding and knowledge and their access and connections to others.
ContributorsSchlegel, Deborah (Author) / Stokrocki, Mary (Thesis advisor) / Erickson, Mary (Committee member) / Young, Bernard (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Benefits and Challenges of Collaboration and Autonomy in a High School Beginning Art Class In the twenty-first century students are used to communicating. Using social media they often collaborate with peers. Despite this students may prefer to work independently rather than collaborating with fellow students in art class. Also, collaboration has become more common with twenty-first century artists. This study addresses the possible disconnect between the popular culture of today's art students' preference for the traditional independent autonomous practices in the art classroom, and the collaborative practice of many contemporary artists. The purpose of this study is to investigate how working collaboratively or working autonomously affects the artworks and oral and written responses about their artwork of high school beginning art students. I used a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to gather data. Data for this study are the artworks made by the participants, idea starter sheets, participant written reflections, their oral answers to interview questions, and my observations of the classes. The participants in this study are students from four intact classrooms of high school beginning art. This study produced multiple findings, such as: The artworks revealed differences between collaborative classes and autonomous classes. Additionally, no differences were revealed from the written and oral responses made by the participants in the two classes. I conclude that, when given the opportunity to collaborate or work autonomously, high school beginning art students in this study made different artworks but made no different oral and written responses.
ContributorsBomberg-Roth, Patricia (Author) / Erickson, Mary (Thesis advisor) / Stokrocki, Mary (Committee member) / Young, Bernard (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014