A study of the responses of a group of 10 and 11 year old children to works of art

Abstract

This is a study of primary school children who are involved in a programme of activities aimed at developing their critical appreciation of works of art. I have considered three aspects. First, I review published work in this area with reference specifically to the work of primary children. In this, the theoretical notion of critical appreciation is discussed and evaluated with particular reference to this age group. Second, I outline the programme of activities aimed at developing critical appreciation in primary school children. The data was collected to discover the Experimental Group's experiences of works of art with specific reference to the extent of their level of critical appreciation displayed in their responses. The programme's effectiveness is then assessed using this data, as a comparison is made at the end by examining the children's extended and expressive vocabulary - both linguistic and artistic. Lastly, using the findings from the review of published material and the fieldwork conclusions, proposals for possible strategies, aimed at developing critical appreciation in primary school children are put forward.