ABSTRACT
This study investigates the influence of art teaching on the affective and cognitive development of secondary school students in Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa state, Nigeria. Descriptive Survey method of research was used. Simple random sampling method was used to select 140 art students and 14 teachers from 14 selected secondary schools. The objectives of the study were to document the influence of art education on the affective and cognitive development of the learners; find ways to improve the affective and cognitive development of the learners through knowledge application; stimulate research activities in Art Education in secondary school educational and curricula development and to advocate for increased involvement in Art Education research. The instruments used for the study were questionnaire and interview. Data collected were analyzed and results presented on tables using frequency distribution, percentage and mean score to determine acceptable and unacceptable responses and a simple percentage of data analysis was also employed. The findings of the study showed that; art plays a vital role on the affective development of the learners as art assisted them learn to manage their emotions; art influenced the cognitive development of the students by building new knowledge from prior knowledge; art can improve the affective and cognitive growth of the learner by providing a unique arena of human behavior and increasing the learners interest for learning; the evidence of art on the affective and cognitive domains of development of the learners include problem solving and attitude. The study concluded that, the value of art lies in its great potential to help learners experience learning as a holistic endeavor that connects their personal feelings with intellectual and physical skills. As a result of the findings, it is suggested that, the teachers must understand child‟s psychology and appropriate teaching strategies and choose appropriate art activities for the effective development of the learners according to their various stages of development. Arts-based teaching and learning should be encouraged so that the learner will experience the development of skills such as ability in the area of creativity, self direction and complex thinking. The art teacher requires motivation, positive disposition, a strong knowledge base, possession of adequate skills and competence. Finally it is suggested that the Federal Ministry of Education and all stakeholders should adopt workable policies which will revive the educational sector.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title – – – – – – – – – – – i Declaration – – – – – – – – – – iii Certification – – – – – – – – – – iv Acknowledgement – – – – – – – – – v Abstract – – – – – – – – – – vi Table of Contents – – – – – – – – – vii List of Tables – – – – – – – – – viii Definition of Terms – – – – – – – – – ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the Study – – – – – – – – 1 1.2 Statement of the Research Problem – – – – – – 5 1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study – – – – – – – 6 1.4 Research Questions – – – – – – – – 6 1.5 Justification for the Study – – – – – – – 7 1.6 Significance of the Study – – – – – – – 7 1.7 Basic Assumptions – – – – – – – – 8 1.8 Scope of the Study – – – – – – – – 8 1.9 Theoretical Framework – – – – – – – 8 1.10 Organization of the Study – – – – – – – 14 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 2.1 Introduction – – – – – – – – – 15 2.2 Concept of Art Education – – – – – – – – 16
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2.3 Child Development – – – – – – – – 18 2.4 Cognitive Development – – – – – – – 20 2.5 The Psycho-motor Domain – – – – – – – 24 2.6 Art, Cognitive Development and Psychomotor Learning – – – 25 2.7 The Affective Domain – – – – – – – 27 2.8 Affective Development – – – – – – – 28 2.9 Art Affection – – – – – – – – – 32 2.10 Creativity and the Development of the Child – – – – – 33 2.11 Curriculum at the Secondary School Level – – – – – 36 2.12 Influence of Art Teaching on Affective Development – – – 38 2.13 Influence of Art Teaching on Cognitive development – – – 40 2.14 Teaching Methods in Secondary Schools – – – – – 41 2.15 Behavior of Secondary School Students – – – – – 46 2.16 Related Studies – – – – – – – – 48 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction – – – – – – – – – 51 3.2 Research Design – – – – – – – – 51 3.3 Population – – – – – – – – – 51 3.4 Research Instruments – – – – – – – 52 3.5 Pilot Study – – – – – – – – – 54 3.6 Validation of the Research instruments – – – – – 54 3.7 Reliability of the Instrument – – – – – – – 55
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3.8 Data Collection Procedure – – – – – – – 55 3.9 Data Analyses – – – – – – – – 56 CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION, RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Introduction – – – – – – – – – 57 4.2 Analyses – – – – – – – – – 57 4.3 Findings and Discussion – – – – – – – 62 CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Summary – – – – – – – – – 66 5.2 Conclusion – – – – – – – – – 67 5.3 Recommendations – – – – – – – – 68 5.4 Recommendation for further studies – – – – – – 69 References – – – – – – – – – 70 Appendix – – – – – – – – – 77
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CHAPTER ONE
1.1 Background to the Study The Child from birth to adolescence experiences some developmental changes which involves physical, intellectual, social and emotional growth. Although people change throughout their lives, developmental changes are especially dramatic in childhood. During this period, a dependent, vulnerable newborn grows into a capable young person who has mastered language, is self-aware, can think and reason with sophistication, has a distinctive personality and socializes effortlessly with others. The school should encourage each child to identify with his own experiences. These schools should help the learners to go as far as they can in developing concepts that express their feelings and emotions. Kparevzua (2002) stressed that it is necessary for schools to train children in Art Education to acknowledge the role of art in their society and to broaden their awareness of the values inherent in the arts that are available in society. While learning, development occurs naturally in young children, they will not occur automatically without conscious contributions from adults either as parents or as teachers (Lansky and Mukherji, 1980). Development according to Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) is related to the gradual increase in skills and abilities that occurs over a lifetime. It is comparing students prior and post knowledge experience and ability to perform, problem solve and understand ideas, concepts in many areas of life. While each person progresses as an individual, the stages of development are similar for almost everyone.
Every learning environment, class or art lesson requires different teaching strategies and tactics. Hence, it is desirable that the art teacher knows something of the various instructional methods, their advantages and limitations. These methods are the technique or
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approach the teacher adopts in trying to impart knowledge to the learner. Robert (1971) in Uzoagba and Ogboji (2008) made it clear that there is no one method of teaching art and craft and superior teachers use many methods and combination of methods. If the learners are taught with the right method putting in mind their stages of development, creative abilities could be fostered correctly. According to Uzoagba and Ogboji (2008) to be a good art teacher, it is necessary to posses essential qualities to facilitate effective teaching. Douglas and Schwartz (1987) suggest that when the art teacher uses a carefully structured, inductive and in-depth approach to teaching, motivation will be stimulated; provides opportunities for discussions which attract attention to the complexity of art and thereby arouse curiosity; and helps children to identify the criteria by which they can evaluate themselves as they work and thereby serve as a stimulus for accomplishment. Also the child‟s feelings of curiosity, sight, thoughts and attention span should be aroused. And suitable opportunities should be provided for training his senses. These are the means by which the child relate to the outside world, and also recognize the world. Danko-Mcghee and Slutsky (2003) suggests that one way to nurture child development is through art because the arts if properly taught are basic to individual development since they more than any subject, awaken all senses. However, children lose interest in art because of lack of motivation, non-conducive environment, poor instructional style and lack of qualified teachers among others.
Art Educators and persons concerned with healthy child development have tried to spell out the uniqueness of the child and the need to have him treated with that in mind. However, the various experiences children are introduced into in the process of educating them are capable of greatly influencing them during adulthood. That is why in art teaching
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care must be taken in the selection of appropriate methods which will suit their interests, ages and capacities. Nkom (2002) stated that learning experiences provided in any art area is aimed at or intended to contribute towards the objectives of the school education which must be relevant to student‟s developmental needs. Olalere (2006) asserted that art assist in the intellectual, emotional, physical and social growth of the learners according to the needs and capacities. Uzoagba (1978) sees art as a means of self-expression. Bloom taxonomy was created in order to promote higher forms of thinking in Art Education, such as analyzing and evaluating concepts, processes, procedures and principles, rather than just remembering facts (rote learning). It is most often used when designing educational training and learning processes (Anderson and Krathwohl, 2001). According to Clark (1999); Huitt (2011) and Sincero (2011), Bloom taxonomy identified three domains of learning: Cognitive (mental skills and knowledge); Affective ((growth in feelings or emotion); and Psychomotor (manual or physical skills). Cognitive Domain: – Dealing with recall or recognition of knowledge and the development of intellectual abilities and skills (Bloom, 1956). Cognitive domain involves the development of our mental skills and the acquisition of knowledge. The six categories under this domain are: Knowledge; Comprehension; Application; Analysis; Synthesis; Creation. Affective Domain: – An increasing internalization of positive attitudes toward the Content or subject matter (Kearney, 1994). Cognitive domain involves our feelings, values, emotions and attitudes. This domain is categorized into five subdomains: Receiving Phenomena; Responding to Phenomena; Valuing; Organization; Characterization.
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Psychomotor Domain- The Psychomotor domain addresses the fact that neither conscious knowledge nor values and attitudes are sufficient to explain effective performance of learned tasks (Anderson, 2001 and Simpson, 1974). This domain is associated with physical skills such as speed, dexterity, grace, use of instruments, expressive movement and use of body in dance or athletics. The seven categories under this include: Perception; Set; Guided Response; Mechanism; Complex Overt Response; Adaptation; Origination.
Huitt stated that each of which is organized as a series of levels until those below them have been covered (it is thus effectively serial in structure). As well as providing a basic sequential model for dealing with topics in the curriculum, it also suggests a way of categorizing levels of learning, in terms of the expected ceiling for a given program. This taxonomy of learning behaviors according to Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) may be thought as the goals of the learning process. That is, after a learning episode, the learner should have acquired a new skill, knowledge and/or attitude. Art is core at Junior Secondary School and educative at Senior Secondary School. This was since the introduction of 6-3-3-4 system of education in Nigeria in the 1980s and policy failure around Art Education. UBE 9-3-4 system of education was replaced by 6-3-3-4 system. The introduction of the 6-3-3-4 system of education in 1982 as noted by Mamza (2000) in Danjuma (2002) made art a core subject in the school curriculum especially in the junior secondary schools.
However, there is still lack of support for arts in most secondary schools in Nigeria, some schools still do not require or believe it to be a critical part of education. This according to Godwin (2009) is due to the poor implementation of the program. There is still a very
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limited awareness of the actual benefit of arts in the schools among art teachers, principals and students. With very good laid down objectives, one had expected that the curriculum would be able to provide creative, patriotic and productive Nigerians who will contribute optimally to national development, rather what we have on ground is a far cry from expectation. According to Igwe (2007) this is because they are not equipped with the requisite skills for self or paid employment. Uzoagba (2004) explains the situation, if proper understanding of Art Education has been made and better instructions on art followed in schools and colleges, much would have been done to redeem the subject from the neglect it has always suffered in our society. Hence, the place of art in our society will depend on the recognition given to it in the curriculum in our schools, colleges and universities. This study will examine the influence of art teaching on the affective and cognitive development of secondary school students in Lafia metropolis of Nasarawa state. The basis issues involved are: how art helps the learner develop affectively and cognitively, practical growth observable with evidence to support any claim, implications for art teachers and suggestions. 1.2 Statement of the Research Problem Fine and Applied Art Education generally is faced with several issues which militate against its effective teaching and learning at the different levels of education in Nigeria. The result is that there are more of improperly trained and incompetent job seekers instead of job creators and employers of labor. This is because there is inadequate instructional materials, infrastructural facilities, manpower and funds.
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In other words, the affective and cognitive development of the Art Education learners has not been determined in Lafia metropolis of Nasarawa state. There are clear indications that the value of Art Education is not clearly understood by students, parents and the administrators. Few secondary schools teach art in Lafia metropolis with few art teachers and very few students also offer the subject. Art materials and facilities are not provided by schools. The problem of the study therefore is the issue of poor methodology, insufficient facilities (art materials and untrained teachers) and funding.
1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of this study was to examine how Art Education influences the affective and cognitive development of students in secondary schools in Lafia, Nasarawa state. The specific objectives are to:
a. Document the influence of Art Education on the affective and cognitive development of students.
b. Find ways to improve the affective and cognitive development of the learners through knowledge application.
c. Stimulate research activity in Art Education in secondary school educational and curricula development and to advocate for increased involvement in Art Education research.
1.4 Research Questions: Research questions were developed to guide the study. They were:
a. Does the teaching of Art Education influence the affective development of the learner?
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b. Does the teaching of Art Education influence the cognitive development of the learner?
c. How can Art Education improve affective and cognitive growth of the learner?
d. What is the evidence of Art Education on the affective and cognitive domains of development of learners?
1.5 Justification for the study There are no evidences in Lafia metropolis that art encourages or promotes affective and cognitive growth. There is need to provide concrete evidences to support such domains. Stakeholders will be convinced if such claims are justified through research. The teacher‟s attitude to art can have an immense influence on the learners hence affecting their attitude to Art Education. The need for this study is more apparent because when the art teacher is exposed to various instructional styles and stages of children‟s artistic growth; it will go a long way to affect not only the teachers but the children they influence. 1.6 Significance of the Study The outcome of this study will not only advance knowledge in the academia, but will be of value to educational practitioners, the education system and broader community. It will also make valuable contribution to the body of knowledge as it examines the operations, performance, and failures of the educational systems in Nigeria. It will serve as a guide to the Ministry of Education in Nigeria, policy makers and schools in the formulation of policies, programs and implementation that will encourage students to learn.
The study will also help art teachers choose the appropriate art activities for the development of affective and cognitive domain of the learner. They will know which
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activities are appropriate for students at the different stages of development. The findings examined in this research will form a basis to stimulate further research, organizing conferences, seminars and workshops on related issues. The study will be of enormous benefit to the students by promoting their self-image, increase their academic success and sharpen their critical and creative skills. 1.7 Basic Assumptions It should be assumed that:
Art influences the affective and cognitive development of the leaner.
Art is present on the curriculum and taught to students.
The schools selected for the research are representative of secondary schools in Lafia metropolis where this study is conducted.
1.8 Scope of the Study The study examined the affective and cognitive development of secondary school students in Lafia metropolis of Nasarawa state. The focus was on practical, observable evidences of influences on the activities of the learners. The study involved one hundred and forty (140) art students and fourteen (14) art teachers in fourteen (14) selected secondary schools out of the fifty six (56) registered secondary schools in Lafia metropolis. The students normally pass through developmental stages which can be examined in relation to their intellectual growth during the secondary period. Affective and cognitive domains of development of the learners were considered. Reference is only made to psychomotor (muscular) domain. 1.9 Theoretical Framework
Piaget (1970), Vygotsky (2000) and Skinner (1996) developed theories based on research around cognitive development and a variety of approaches to teaching have since
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grown from their works and the works of other theorists. Other approaches concerned with cognitive development include behaviourism, information processing and constructivism. The constructivist theory requires us to assess student‟s individual performance and group performance together during their learning process or experience, Shephard (1978). Vygotsky (2000) who belong to this approach held the position that the child gradually internalizes external and social activities, including communication, with more competent others. His findings suggested that learning environment should involve guided interactions that permit children to reflect on inconsistency and to change their conception through communication. This dialectical discovery is a continuous process that becomes increasingly complex over time (Wink and Putney, 2002). Therefore, higher functions originate as actual interpersonal relationships between individuals. There are three major principles underlying Vygotskys social development theory (Wink and Putney, 2002). First, social interaction plays a critical role in cognitive development in relation to what is learned and when and how learning occurs. The principle asserts that without the learning that occurs as a result of social interaction, without self awareness or the use of signs and symbols that allow us to think in more complex ways, we would remain slaves to the situation, responding directly to the environment (Nicholl, 1998). The second principle associated with this theory is the idea that the potential for cognitive development is limited to a certain time span (Kearsley, 2001). Finally Vygotsky asserted that the only way to understand how humans come to know is to study learning in an environment where the process of learning rather than the product that is the result of learning is studied.
Suizzo (2000) and Vygotsky (2000) also observed that when children were tested on
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tasks on their own, they rarely did as well as when they were working in collaboration with an adult. It was by no means always the case that the adult was teaching them how to perform the task, but that the process of engagement with the adult enabled them to refine their thinking or their performance to make it more effective. Hence, for him, the development of language and articulation of ideas was central to learning and development. According to the cognitive-affective model, behavior is best predicted from a comprehensive understanding of the person, the situation, and the interaction between persons and situation. Cognitive-affective theorists (Piaget, Erickson, 1998) argue that development is not the result of some global personality trait; instead, it arises from individual’s perceptions of his/herself in a particular situation. Bruner‟s (1987, 1990) constructivist theory incorporates many of the ideas offered in previous theories. Bruner (1990) stated that knowledge and competencies of thinking are situated within the individual and can be studied independently of the situation within which they are used. Brunner‟s work is concerned with the sequence of representation (the stages), but he is equally concerned with the role of culture on cognitive development. Skinner (2000) emphasizes observable behavior in the study of humans, hence the term behaviorism. He rejects any attempt at introspection or use of hypothetical internal processes or structures to account for learning. Instead, the researcher uses the consequences of a behavior to explain why the behavior continues or fade. Skinner believes that behavior that is followed by reinforcement (positive or negative) has an increased probability of recurrence. Behavior followed by extinction or punishment has a decreased probability of re-occurrence.
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According to Lieberman (2000) Skinner believed that the goal of psychology should be practical and held firm to the logical positive position that all we can really know is that which we can learn through direct observation using our senses. The researcher was not incline to speculate about things nor to hypothesize about why something might have happened. Skinner conducted experiments, observed and recorded the results because of his belief that the only stable knowledge comes from direct observation, not from speculations about internal matters or things that are not directly observable. Lewis (2000) theory of emotion development relates multiple time scales using characteristics of self-organizing dynamic systems as causal mechanism. This theoretical model relates to the moment-to-moment emotional experiences in real time to the moods that persist for longer stretches at a middle or meso-time scale. These events consolidate through the strengthening or pruning of brain connections to become the habits and tendencies of personality at a developmental time scale of years. Piaget (2001) focused on developing a general theory of knowledge, how a child develops knowledge of his or her world and the role that biology plays in that development. To Piaget, intelligence is represented by how an organism interacts with its environment through mental adaptation. This adaptation is controlled through mental organism and structures that an individual uses to represent the world; it is driven by a biological impulse to obtain balance (equilibrium) between those mental organism and the environment.
At the center of Piaget’s theory is the principle that cognitive development occurs in a series of four distinct, universal stages, each characterized by increasingly sophisticated and abstract levels of thought. These stages always occur in the same order, and each builds on what was learned in the previous stage. They are as follows:
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1. Sensory-Motor Stage – age (Infant -18 years/2 years) 2. Preoperational stage – (2 years – 6/7 years) 3. Stage of Concrete Operations – (6/7 years – 11/12 years) 4. Stage of Formal Operations – (11/12 years – Adolescence)
Sensory-motor stage (infancy): In this period, which has six sub-stages, intelligence is demonstrated through motor activity without the use of symbols. Knowledge of the world is limited, but developing, because it is based on physical interactions and experiences. Children acquire object permanence at about seven months of age (memory). Physical development (mobility) allows the child to begin developing new intellectual abilities. Some symbolic (language) abilities are developed at the end of this stage. Pre-operational stage (toddlerhood and early childhood): In this period, which has two sub stages, intelligence is demonstrated through the use of symbols, language use matures, memory and imagination are developed, but thinking is done in a non-logical, non-reversible manner. Egocentric thinking predominates. Concrete operational stage (elementary and early adolescence): In this stage, characterized by seven types of conservation (number, length, liquid, mass, weight, area, and volume), intelligence is demonstrated through logical and systematic manipulation of symbols related to concrete objects. Operational thinking develops (mental actions that are reversible). Egocentric thought diminishes. Formal operational stage (adolescence and adulthood): In this stage, intelligence is demonstrated through the logical use of symbols related to abstract concepts. Early in the period there is a return to egocentric thought. Singer and Revenson (1997) explain that these stages unfold over time and all children will pass through them in order to achieve an adult level of intellectual functioning.
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The later stages evolve from and are built on earlier ones. They point out that the sequence of stages is fixed and unchangeable and children cannot skip a stage. They all proceed through the stages in the same order, even though they may progress through them at different rates. At each stage, the child will acquire more complex motor skills and cognitive abilities. Although different behaviors characterize different stages, the transition between stages is gradual and a child moves between stages so subtly that he may not be aware of new perspectives gained. However, at each stage there are definite accompanying developmental changes in the areas of play, language, morality, space, time, and number (Singer & Revenson, 1997). The most significant alternative to the work of Piaget has been the information-processing approach, which uses the computer as a model to provide new insight into how the human mind receives stores, retrieves and uses information. Researchers using information –processing theory to study cognitive development in children have focused on areas such as the gradual improvements in children‟s ability to take in information and focus selectively on certain parts of it and their increasing attention spans and capacity for memory storage. For example, researchers have found that the superior memory skills of older children are due in part to memorization strategies, such as repeating items in order to memorize them or dividing them into categories. The growth of the mind is the psychological and emotional changes that occur in an individual. Learning occurs as a result of social exposure (interaction) with a competent adult. The adult enable the learners to refine their thinking skills and their performance by allowing them to learn and discover things on their own and correct them through guided learning. The learners needs to be encouraged to learn through direct observation using their
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senses, this is because knowledge comes from direct observation and not speculations. They should be allowed to practice how to manipulate things. The manipulation of materials that often accompanies artistic activities and it involves more of physical activities. Through practice, the learner becomes more familiar with the problems and techniquesof any practical activity. Since each child comes with different prior knowledge and readiness level, it becomes the educator‟s mission to structure learning activities, so that everyone is challenged. One way to do so is by giving assignments so that all students receive the amount of assistance they need to complete a task. The learners should also be compelled to search, discover and find out for themselves new truths, rules, principles about knowledge. It is also a mental adventure in which learners discover new facts for themselves. 1.10 Organization of the Study This study consists of five chapters as follows: Chapter one is concerned with the introduction, statement of problem, objective of the study, research questions, justification for the study, significance of the study, basic assumptions, scope of the study, theoretical framework and organization of the study. Chapter two covers the review of literature: It reviewed relevant literature in the areas of affective and cognitive development of the learner. Chapter three is concerned with the research design and methodology. More specifically, it focuses attention on the population of the study, the research instrument, administration of the instrument and the research strategy. Chapter four discussed the data presentation, results and findings of discussion. And chapter five discussed summary, conclusion, recommendations and suggestions for further studies
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