Inner-city students' perceptions about art education: Its role, value, and significance in their lives

Lack of consensus about what value art education has in today's back-to-basics educational climate has impacted art programs in terms of marginalizing and/or eliminating them, particularly in urban districts struggling to meet non-arts testing mandates. Younger public school students who are key recipients of art education have been excluded from contributing their perceptions of art's value to the conversation. This study investigated the perceptions of elementary and middle school inner-city art students on the value of art education. The overarching question sought a general understanding about what inner-city public school students at the elementary and middle school levels perceived art education's value to be. The secondary questions examined how these students compared the value of their art education in relation to the value of other school subjects, and what role art served overall as a means of self-expression. An interpretive case study centered on in-depth interviews with 10 students was used to gather data for answering these questions. Data from parents, teachers, and school staff, plus classroom observations and document analyses, were used to triangulate students' perceptions. The data were analyzed using the spiral approach for interpretive analysis, with coding used to identify relevant themes and topics. The urban children in this study perceived art as a distinct and highly valued school subject, compared to other subjects. Findings suggested that art education recognizes a natural mode of self-expression for children, and fosters self-esteem and expanded avenues for achievement. Social change can be powerfully affected by informing curriculum design with this knowledge, thereby increasing opportunities for urban children to succeed grounded in their strengths.