Instruments of Change: An Action Research Study of Studio Art Instruction in Teacher Education

Abstract

This article narrates a nine-month action research project conducted in order to improve studio art instruction in a preservice art education programme in Turkey. Setting out to determine the relevant problems through interpretation of conversations, anecdotes, essays and observations of 16 third-year BA students, the instructional atmosphere was rearranged with respect to three themes deduced in the action research process: “us and them,” “old-fashioned curriculum,” and “caring”. The principal results illustrate the concrete examples of “instruments of change” that integrate these themes in studio art teaching: Design of the studio, willing participation, guidance on demand, collegial environment, inclusive curriculum, language, social media and music, and casual interaction. The study presents articulations of participants on each one of these instruments through direct quotes along with links to the broader educational literature. The final concentration is on a discussion based on the changes in the instructional setting conveying the essential role of “caring” in the processes of forming “instruments of change” for art education professionals.