Co-learning, co-creating : a case study on collaborative art in a high school classroom

The purpose of this study was to investigate the benefits and challenges of collaborative art-making in one high school art class from the teacher’s and students’ perspectives. This case study examined one collaborative art project in a Painting II class that took place at a high school in the Austin, Texas area. This study focused on teacher and students’ perceptions of collaborative art-making based on their experiences facilitating or participating in the collaborative art project. The participants for this study were one art teacher and 18 high school students enrolled in the Painting II class. Data collected for this study included four 80-minute observations of the class, student response surveys, and teacher and student interviews. Four of the 18 students and the teacher were interviewed in the fall of 2016 in order to shed light on their perceptions of what they found beneficial and challenging about the collaborative art project. The findings of this study indicate that the art teacher and the majority of the students had positive experiences with the collaborative art project. Eight themes emerged as benefits of collaborative art-making and seven emerged as challenges. The outcomes further suggest that collaborative art projects can help build 21st century learning skills that inevitably benefit high school students preparing for college and future careers.Art Educatio