Primary teachers’ conceptions and approaches to using visual arts in writing in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This thesis investigates the use of visual arts (drawing and images) in teaching writing from the perspective of Saudi language teachers. The interviews were conducted with primary-school teachers and the data was interpreted through the lens of the phenomenographic paradigm. The analysis of the gathered data revealed three main conceptions that teachers have adopted regarding the use of visual arts in teaching writing: curriculum-focused, knowledge-transfer, and student-needs.
The curriculum-focused teachers relied predominantly on the textbook and curriculum requirements and used visual arts sparingly, leaving such activities to the student’s choice. Knowledge-transfer teachers focused on how visual arts could be used as an effective means to transfer knowledge. The teachers who applied the visual arts approach to meet students’ learning needs were those most in favour of visual arts and stress their benefit. The knowledge-transfer and student-needs categories were further subdivided into subcategories to reflect the original experience. Student perception and writing quality were the categories identified in the knowledge-transfer group, while the student need-focused experience was divided into beginner students and those with learning difficulties.
The data were further categorized according to three common dimensions that emerged from the analysis of the teachers’ conceptions: significance of visual arts, type of impact, and student learning level. The findings showed that the curriculum-focused category viewed the use of visual arts in teaching writing as a marginal and indirect approach for post-beginner students. The student needs-focused category viewed the use of visual arts as an essential and direct approach that perfectly matches the needs of first graders and students with learning difficulties. The knowledge-transfer category shared the view that this approach is essential, but at the same time, it considered the indirect impact on post-beginner students. The thesis concludes by recommending more research in this area in Saudi Arabia. The main implication for practice refers to the teachers’ opportunity to enhance students’ literacy learning and especially, writing by employing visual arts.