Fostering Intrinsic Motivation in a Learner-Centered Art Unit

This case study explores the motivation of art students at a diverse and highly academic secondary school in Southern California. A qualitative ethnographic case study analyzed the effect of a specified curriculum in order to understand the link between motivation and engagement in a visual arts classroom. This study assesses initial student motivation prior to sequential lessons transitioning from a structured learning environment to a student-centered approach. Based on the survey data there was little or no evidence that a choice-based curriculum was more engaging. While survey data was inconclusive, visual and observational data collected by the researcher strongly suggests that a learner directed classroom is a much more fertile ground to cultivate authentic learning experiences, allowing students to actively acquire and be intrinsically engaged in the construction of their own knowledge