Correlations Between Cross-curricular Influences, Visual Arts with Cognition, and Student Performance

Abstract

Many schools across the nation are terminating visual arts programs without considering the importance of the curriculum. Researchers have executed several different studies on the various connections visual arts have with cognition, cross-curricular influences, and student achievement. These studies include students that range from elementary level to secondary level. Researchers across the board have deduced that visual arts have positive effects on each of these categories of study. These outcomes support and confirm the importance of visual arts in schools. More research and studies should be conducted, throughout different levels of education, in order to further prove and substantiate the importance of visual arts in schools.

Introduction

Many students remember their visual arts classes throughout the years of their education. For many students, the visual arts classroom is a “safe haven” they can rely on. Students are able to come to art class knowing that they can retreat from the linear academic mode other teachers enforce in their classroom. In an art class, students use higher order thinking skills and problem solving without much effort. They are no longer looking at facts and memorizing dates, but get to experience the art of creation and manipulation (Ebner, A. 2006). Conceptual thoughts and concrete projects provide students with the skills to advance their thought process and validate why art is important. These abstract and concrete benefits (Ebner, A. 2006) are just one of the few reasons why visual arts are important in schools. Yet schools, both Elementary and Secondary, across the nation are diminishing the availability of visual arts and/or removing visual arts from the curriculum entirely. Some go as far to say that Visual arts are not important (Ebner, A. 2006) in a schools curriculum. Visual arts should be incorporated into every classroom and be made available in every school curriculum. The benefits of this have been documented in several wide ranging studies that include early education (elementary/middle) and cognition, secondary education and cross-curricular connections, and influences on overall student achievement.

Early Education and Cognition Through the Systematic Use of Visual Arts

Students of a young age are growing and absorbing everything around them. Having a visual arts program in place can assist with their cognitive development and can enhance their creative thinking skills (Miller S. R. & Hopper P. F. 2010). One main idea that was predominant throughout the studies in early education was entitlement. Students that had visual arts classes developed independent thinking skills which gave them a claim and ownership (Miller S. R. & Hopper P. F. 2010) of what they have created and learned. This in-turn also builds a student’s confidence to excel in school.

Cognition implies the act of acquiring knowledge through thought process, awareness, and perceptions (Kamhi, M. M. 2007). By introducing visual arts at a young age, students are able to express themselves using other materials other than worlds. For example, clay is a median that can be used to express thoughts or ideas (Danko-Mcghee, K., & Slutsky, R. 2007) that may be difficult for young students with a limited vocabulary. By observing and engaging with the students, teachers can find out where the students are cognitively (Danko-Mcghee, K., & Slutsky, R. 2007) and facilitate the desired knowledge using strategies that best fit each individual student.

Another direction that is noticed in the research, which also applies to Louisiana mandated curriculum instruction, is that teachers are facilitators (Danko-Mcghee, K., & Slutsky, R. 2007) in the classroom and students work independently as investigators. The classrooms become more student driven and directed. Visual arts allow students to create and discover problems. Teachers are there to provide support and initiate conversations that guide students in different directions.

With the rationales that has been presented and supported by research, it has been demonstrated the correlation between visual arts and entitlement of knowledge learned, visual arts and cognitive development which includes the thinking process/awareness, and the implementation of student driven classrooms where the teacher assists and promotes discussion and learning. All of these are valid reasons as to why art is important in early education. It further demonstrates the need for visual arts in curriculums across schools nationwide. More research would be beneficial in presenting a more substantial allegation as to visual arts in early education.

Secondary Education and Cross-Curricular Benefits of Applying Visual Arts

Visual arts classroom are more predominantly found in secondary education, but are gradually diminishing in numbers. There are several case studies that have corroborated the benefits of integrating visual arts in other areas of study in secondary education. The three studies incorporate visual arts with technology, biology, and reading comprehension.

Technology is a fast growing subject area in today’s society. Many of the thought processes and skills needed to embark on a technological career can be ascertained with the use of visual arts. Even the term technology is derived from techne (Bryant, C. 2010) which means art, skill, and/or craft. Visual arts and computer animation can be used to express creative problem-solving strategies (Bryant, C. 2010) that provide various solutions wherein the student must deduce which is the optimal choice. The research also implied the use of high concept (Bryant, C. 2010) to their animations. This term refers to the quality of work, such as aesthetics, the students produce. This is a prime example of integration of visual arts and technology.

Biology and visual arts may sound like two sides of a spectrum, but can cohesively be intertwined to allow for improvement (Yang, A. S. 2011). The study of life covers a wide range of subject matter. Students may have difficulties relating to the subject like viruses (Yang, A. S. 2011) perhaps because they cannot be seen by the naked eye. Creating a visual metaphor or representation of the virus allows students to make observations, correlations and create a work of art. This interdisciplinary act demonstrates a valid justification for visual arts in science classrooms.

Reading Comprehension may be difficult for students in high school. Students may show no interest in the reading material when they know that they will be bombarded with a barrage of multiple choice questions and worksheets (Holdren, T.S. 2012) thereby eliminating any chance of comprehension of the material. By using visual arts as a form of assessment for reading comprehension, students are more engaged and willing to participate. Students are able to illustrate their ability to synthesize, solve interpretive problems, and use metaphor and symbolism (Holdren, T.S. 2012). The article specifically described, not just one, but three forms of higher level thinking skills that were observed during the study: metaphoric connection, manipulation of details, and problem solving (Holdren, T.S. 2012). Visual arts provide a different form of assessment for teachers to use to engage students in their classrooms.

In a secondary setting, visual arts can provide different strategies to teach and present various subject matters, but also be used as an alternative form of assessment (Madeja, S. S. 2004) that promotes students to practice higher order thinking skills, problem solving, and creation. Cross-curricular activities and higher order thinking skills are vital to not only preparing students for high stakes tests, but allow for more meaningful learning to take place.

Visual Arts and Student Achievement

It has been documented that Project Based Learning (Kalyoncu, R., & Tepecik, A. 2010) is an innovative model in teaching and learning. The “Project Method” is based on the concrete or abstract expression of the ideas (Kalyoncu, R., & Tepecik, A. 2010) that develop as a result of prior knowledge and the knowledge that is gained during the lesson. By using this type of structure, students are able to bring together their own prior knowledge of the subject and combine them with that of other students to gain greater achievement and comprehension. PBL focuses on main ideas and principles, it allows for students to be included in problem-solving activities and work independently which consequently leads them to build upon their prior knowledge, excel at greater levels and take interest in the subject matter. Students become more creative, develop better problem solving skills, and have higher academic risk-taking levels to gain more knowledge (Kalyoncu, R., & Tepecik, A. 2010). Visual arts are typically taught using this type of method. Students are given an idea or topic, discuss what they know about it, given more information of the idea or topic, and are then asked to create a project (with guidelines) on what they have learned. Students display more of a positive participation in the subject and the learning environment became more meaningful for the students and the teachers (Kalyoncu, R., & Tepecik, A. 2010).

All of these improvements and growths in students substantiate the argument that Visual arts are indeed important to schools. Teachers strive to engage their students in daily lessons. By using the project method, students become more engrossed and have a desire to acquire more knowledge about the subject matter (Kalyoncu, R., & Tepecik, A. 2010). More research should be obtained on how Project Based Learning is used in core curriculum classrooms and the effects it has on student achievement.

Conclusions

When discussing the importance of Visual arts in schools, it is important to keep in mind the specific areas that have been discussed. Visual arts promote cognitive development in younger students (Miller S. R. & Hopper P. F. 2010), it stimulates higher order thinking skills and problem solving (Holdren, T.S. 2012), and increases students’ success in the classroom (Kalyoncu, R., & Tepecik, A. 2010). A possible area of study could be to investigate if Visual arts has any effect on standardized test scores. If teachers use alternate forms of assessment (Madeja, S. S. 2004) to generate higher order thinking skills and problem solving skills can this effect a student’s thought process when they are taking a high stakes performance test. Then comparisons can be made to students who are taught using strictly linear methods of assessment to observe any differences in test scores.

Student achievement and drive to excel can be attributed to characteristics used in Visual arts (Kalyoncu, R., & Tepecik, A. 2010). By using this to further generate research on how visual arts methods can correlate with high stakes test scores, it would benefit and validate the importance of Visual arts in schools. Being that standardized tests are issued in different grade levels, studies could be done the prior year in which the standardized tests are administered in each grade level. If students in the third grade are exposed to Visual arts and have a variety of forms of assessment in the core classrooms throughout their third and fourth grade academic years, can this affect their standardized test scores?

This form of research could help teachers acquire the knowledge they need to give students every opportunity to excel in school. By demonstrating the positive effects, this could also demonstrate to legislative officials the importance of Visual arts. If the research provides this positive feedback, and displays higher test scores, maybe government officials and the boards of education will realize the importance of Visual arts and constitute Visual arts as a part of the core curriculum. One can dream and hope, but data and results can make it one step closer to reality.