Impact of the immersive method on artistic expression of the students in art education

Pouk likovne kulture v osnovnih šolah na Hrvaškem v glavnem temelji na usvajanju likovnega jezika kot notacijskega sistema, svojstvenega likovni in drugi vizualni umetnosti. V doktorski disertaciji je predstavljena imerzivna metoda, ki močneje povezuje usvajanje likovnega jezika in etape ustvarjalnega procesa od ustvarjanja idej do načina njihove uresničitve v formi, materialu in mediju. Poučevanje z imerzivno metodo je namenjeno izražanju učencev in njihovi komunikaciji s pomočjo likovnega izdelka in izdelka drugih vizualnih umetnosti. Ta proces upošteva sodobno vizualno umetnost in novomedijsko okolje učencev v današnjem času, iz katerih imerzivna metoda prevzema ustvarjalni proces in strategije, ki jih uporablja pri formalnem vidiku ustvarjalnega procesa in organizaciji vzgojno-izobraževalnega procesa. Imerzivna metoda se temeljiteje ukvarja s kontekstom in tako poudarja močan vzgojni vidik pouka in spodbujanje čim več čutil. Posebno pozornost posveča prenosu ustvarjalnega procesa iz ustvarjanja sodobne likovne in drugih vizualnih umetnosti v ustvarjalni proces pri pouku, s čimer se spodbuja prirojena ustvarjalnost vsakega izmed učencev. Ustvarjalni proces je algoritemsko razčlenjen na osem etap, ki se medsebojno prežemajo in ponavljajo v ciklih (univerzalna tema, generativna tema, izločanje idej, prenašanje v formo, material in medij, refleksija, samouresničitev, analiza rezultatov in remediacija). Pri tem kompleksnem pristopu so izjemnega pomena ustvarjalnost, strokovnost in osebnost učitelja. Usposobljenost učitelja za spoznavanje posebnosti sodobnih likovnih in drugih vizualnih stvaritev je zato eden izmed predmetov te raziskave. V prvem delu raziskave (kvantitativnem) so s pomočjo anketnega vprašalnika za priložnostni vzorec učiteljev (območje celotne Hrvaške) ugotovljeni izobrazba učitelja, strokovne in pedagoške kompetence, poznavanje sodobne vizualne umetnosti in novomedijskega okolja, stališče do veljavnega programa za likovno kulturo, strokovno izpopolnjevanje, motivacija za delo in potreba po nadaljnjem izobraževanju. Iz deskriptivne analize rezultatov je razvidno, da učitelji niso usposobljeni za delo po imerzivni metodi. S pomočjo vprašalnika za priložnostni vzorec učencev petih in osmih razredov (Zagreb in del Hrvaške) so med učenci preverjeni poznavanje in uporaba učne vsebine, motivacija, presoja uporabnosti učne vsebine v vsakdanjem življenju in prihodnjem poklicu, prepoznavanje novomedijskega konteksta vsakdanjega življenja in sodobne vizualne umetnosti ter poznavanje ustvarjalnega procesa. Na podlagi rezultatov je zasnovan drugi del raziskave (akcijski), in sicer uvajanje imerzivne metode v pouk v štirih akcijskih korakih: 1) uvajanje učnih metod in strategij ter tehnik za spodbujanje ustvarjalnega mišljenja, 2) spodbujanje intrinzične motivacije s pomočjo generativnih tem (čustvena in kognitivna vsebina učenca), 3) samoocena in samostojna refleksija med ustvarjalnim procesom, 4) delna samostojnost učenca pri uporabi algoritemske sheme ustvarjalnega procesa, občutljivost za kontekst, kritično stališče. Vzorec so bili štiri učiteljice in 128 učencev. Naloge za učence so analizirane s kvalitativno in vsebinsko analizo, medtem ko so rezultati, dobljeni s tabelo za ocenjevanje vizualnih del učencev, statistično analizirani. Rezultati raziskave podajajo odgovore na vsa raziskovalna vprašanja iz prvega in drugega dela raziskave. Rezultati prvega dela raziskave so pokazali da: učitelji nimajo dovolj znanja o učnih metodah in strategijah, sodobni vizualni umetnosti, strategijah novomedijske umetnosti in novomedijskega okolja učencev, niso dovolj zainteresirani za strokovno izpopolnjevanje in dodatno izobraževanje ter ne dojemajo v zadostni meri potrebe po spremembah v pristopu k pouku likovne kultureda učenci učne vsebine ne morejo ustvarjalno uporabljati, ne povezujejo novomedijskega konteksta vsakdanjega življenja z nastankom likovne in druge vizualne stvaritve, ne poznajo produkcije in uporabe prostih asociacij in idej. Rezultati drugega dela raziskave so pokazali, da imerzivna metoda vpliva na uporabo strategij sodobne vizualne umetnosti v formalnem vidiku likovnega in drugega vizualnega izražanja učencev ter na povečanje učenčevega interesa za likovno in drugo vizualno izražanje, na učenčevo kritično premišljanje o okolju, na sposobnost učencev, da ustvarjajo izvirnejše zamisli in bolj ustvarjalno izbirajo ustrezno formo za vsebino in prenos vsebine s pomočjo materiala v medij, na večje zanimanje za moralna in etična vprašanja ter njihovo premišljanje in na enakopravno uporabo novomedijskih tehnologij (mobitel, dlančnik, računalnik) in likovnih medijev. Za uspešno vključitev imerzivne metode v vzgojno-izobraževalni proces je nujen predvsem usposobljen učitelj, ki ima pedagoške in strokovne kompetence. Tako usposobljen učitelj bi z uporabo imerzivne metode spodbudil spoznavanje posebnosti sodobne likovne in drugih vizualnih umetnosti ter tudi razvijanje ustvarjalnega mišljenja pri učencih, vizualno izražanje pa bi tako imelo vlogo komunikacije čustev, misli in vrednot z okoljem, do katerega bi se razvilo kritično stališče.Art education in elementary schools in Croatia is mainly based on acquiring a visual language that will serve as a notational system for all forms of visual art. This dissertation focuses on an immersive teaching method because it closely connects the acquisition of visual language with different stages of the creative process, from the generation of ideas to the various ways in which these ideas can be given form through the use of different materials and media. In addition, the immersive approach focuses on students’ ability to express themselves and to communicate using the visual arts. Both contemporary visual art and the ‘new media’, students are exposed to today, must be taken into account in considering the creative process and in organizing students\u27 formal education. Context is of central importance to the immersive method and should be emphasized in teaching by engaging all the senses. Particular attention should be given to transferring the creative process involved in art-making to the creative process used in teaching, such that each student\u27s innate creativity is encouraged. The creative process can be divided into eight phases that are passed through cyclically and that permeate it: (1) universal themes(2) generative themes(3) the generation of ideas(4) the transformation of ideas into forms(5) the selection of material and media(6) reflection(7) self-realizationand (8) analysis of the outcome and remediation. For such a complex approach, the teacher\u27s creativity, expertise and personality are of the utmost importance. Therefore, the teacher\u27s ability to learn about the particular characteristics of contemporary fine art and other forms of visual art was one of the subjects of this research. The first part of the study was quantitative: the teacher\u27s education, professional and teaching competence, knowledge of contemporary visual art and new media, attitude towards the current visual arts curriculum, professional development, job motivation and need for continuing education were assessed using a questionnaire that was completed by a representative sample of teachers in Croatia. The teachers’ ability to employ immersive teaching methods was evaluated via a descriptive analysis of the questionnaire\u27s results. In addition, students completed a second questionnaire that assessed their knowledge of what they had been taught, their ability to apply that knowledge and their motivation. The questionnaire, which was given to a representative sample of fifth- and eighth-grade students in Zagreb and other parts of Croatia, also assessed the usefulness of the course content in students\u27 everyday lives and future occupations (taking into account the new media common in society and the nature of contemporary visual art) and their knowledge of the creative process. The findings of the two questionnaires are presented as frequency distributions and percentages. Differences in responses between fifth- and eighth-grade students were evaluated using the chi-squared test and the results are presented in contingency tables. The second part of the study, the implementation phase, was also based on questionnaire findings. An immersive teaching strategy was devised in four steps: (1) teaching methods and techniques for stimulating creative thinking are introduced(2) the students\u27 intrinsic motivation is stimulated by employing generative themes (emotional and cognitive content)(3) during the creative process, students carry out self-assessment and reflect on their art independentlyand (4) students become semi-autonomous in applying all phases of the creative process, become sensitive to context and adopt a critical attitude. The samples comprised four teachers and 128 students. The results of the students’ assignments were then analysed qualitatively and their artworks were assessed using descriptive statistics with the aid of an evaluation table. The research answered all the questions that arose in the first and second parts of the study. The first part of the research showed that: (1) teachers lacked sufficient knowledge about teaching methods and strategies, about contemporary visual art, and about the new media environment that surrounds students(2) teachers were not sufficiently interested in professional development or continuing education(3) teachers did not sufficiently understand the need for a new approach to fine art lessons(4) students were not able to use teaching content in a creative way(5) students did not associate the new media ubiquitous in everyday life with the creation of artand (6) students were not familiar with using free associations to generate ideas. The second part of the research showed that the immersive teaching method: (1) influenced students’ use of contemporary visual art strategies in formal visual expression(2) influencing approaches to learning and teaching(3) increased students’ interest in visual expression and critical thinking about the environment(4) stimulated students to engage with more original ideas and to be more creative in choosing the appropriate form for content and the most appropriate material for transferring content into their chosen medium(5) promoted greater interest in moral and ethical issuesand (6) encouraged a more equal use of new media technologies (e.g. cell phones, tablets and computers) and art media. The successful application of an immersive approach to teaching art depends on the teacher having the appropriate professional and educational skills. In the hands of a competent teacher, an immersive approach can stimulate learning about the characteristics of all forms of visual art and help students develop creative thinking. Students should then be able to visually express their emotions, thoughts and values in the context of the critical thinking they have developed