Public School Visual Arts Teachers As Curricular Decision Maker

Abstract

This is a study of how elementary visual arts teachers’ perceive the contexts under which they make curricular decisions. In this autoethnographic study, I draw from my personal and professional experiences as an elementary art educator, triangulated by interviews with six other art teachers to describe contexts that impact decisions regarding curriculum design and strategies of instructing k-6 students in art. I explore how we perceive the contexts that impact the process of curricular decision-making through narrative analysis. An assumption underpinning the thesis of this study is that valuable insights into the work and identity of teachers can be gained by examining perceptions of personal experiences in schools and with students. Visual arts teachers work within varied and complex contexts, and decisions are based on the unique setting within which they work.