EDUCATORS' PERCEPTIONS OF AN INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISION SYSTEM FOR DISCIPLINE-BASED ART EDUCATION.

Abstract

This study investigated educators' perceptions of an instructional supervision system for implementing discipline-based art education (DBAE). The purpose was to determine whether teachers, principals, and supervisors who are in a position to use the system perceive its components as clear and useful. The survey research design on which this study was based was carried out at the 1985 Getty Summer Institute for Educators on the Visual Arts. The sample for the design included 47 educators defined by their institutional role and their knowledge of DBAE: Returning Principals, Elementary Classroom Teachers, Art Educators, Art Supervisors, and New Principals. The respondents rated 25 DBAE teaching behaviors on a Supervision Scale from 1 (No Help) to 5 (Very Helpful), and an Art Content Scale from 1 (Unclear) to 5 (Clear). Written comments were compiled and qualitative comparisons were made within and between groups. A Principal Components Factor Analysis was used to determine the underlying factors within the Supervision System. Analyses of variance techniques were used to determine whether there were statistically significant differences among the four educator groups for each of the teaching behaviors. Pearson product moment correlation was used to determine relationships between total ratings and the respondents' years teaching, years in educational administration, and years as art educator. The results of this study indicate that: (1) the teaching behaviors in the Supervision System measure three distinct constructs of DBAE instruction: Content, Curriculum, and Context; (2) the System was perceived as clear and useful by each of the educator groups included in this study; (3) the items were rated higher as their years in educational administration increased; and (4) the Content and Curriculum items were rated lower as years in art education increased, while the context items were rated higher. The DBAE approach to teaching art is in its development stages. The constructs included in the Supervision System should be reevaluated as DBAE evolves.