"Picture After Picture": A Mixed-Methods Study of Art History Instructional Methods

• In Event: 43.079 - Sheraton Roundtable Session Six - Grand Centre
  In Roundtable Session: 43.079-7 - Art History and Gallery Workshops as Pedagogy

Abstract

Art history offers the opportunity to learn skills that are necessary in a post-truth era, such as visual literacy, critical thinking, knowledge of history, and global awareness. Recent international trends in literature regarding teaching art history have indicated changes in content and instructional methods. Due to a lack of empirical evidence, researchers of art history pedagogy rely on personal opinion and anecdotal evidence to form research problem statements. This study utilized an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design to understand what types of instructional methods are currently being used in art history classes. Results from quantitative observation and qualitative focus groups demonstrated that lecture was the most common teaching method. Additionally, data reveled emergent themes about student perceptions for certain teaching methods.

Author

• Alysha Meloche, Drexel University