A Summary of the Major Trends in Art Education in the Elementary and Secondary Schools as Revealed by a Survey of Literature

The basic purpose of this study was to investigate what the major trends in art education have been as revealed by a survey of the literature. The purpose of this thesis is not, however, to determine the nature and extent of art programs in the public schools, or even to measure the extent to which certain concepts or practices are prevalent among the classroom teacher of art. Rather, this is a study of what art educators and educators interested in art have to say in the literature about the purpose and function of art in the total education program. In some instances, this has resulted in a description of how they think these ends can best be attained. In so far as their approaches reflect overall trends in art education, they have been included in this study, but this is not primarily an analysis of methodology in art. The method employed in this study was to investigate thoroughly the literature in the field of art education with the expectation that a comprehensive reading program would reveal the most significant trends of the past half-century. Advisor: Rex Reckewe