Co-study art education: A study of integrated curriculum

Art in elementary and secondary schools is often tagged as a superfluous class, to be removed or restricted at the first sign of a budget crunch, and offered only after "real learning" has taken place. The values of art are often overlooked. Art is a language that utilizes the creative parts of the brain and has served as the core for some integrated curricula.; Teachers have been increasingly encouraged to integrate their curricula with other subject matter because integration is viewed as a way to deal with our era's increased information load, state mandates for school administrators concerning student performance, standardized curricula and assessment, and concern over relevancy of school to the workplace. This study focused on how art could be integrated more effectively with other subjects, in general, and specifically with American history.; This study examined how an evolution of integrated curriculum, called Co-Study Curriculum, used art in the delivery of American history. The research questions addressed were: (1) Will the Co-Study Curriculum process enhance students' perceptions of their understanding of American history?, and (2) Does the Co-Study Curriculum process of integrating art and American history have an effect on students' attitudes toward art?; This is a qualitative study with quantitative components; the research type is consistent with classroom action research. The methods used for assessment included: a post assessment survey of students' perceptions on the impact of the Co-Study Curriculum process and its usefulness in the classroom, a pre and post assessment of students' attitudes toward art, interviews of selected students, and teacher researcher observations. Included, also, is a Co-Study Curriculum Guide that provides step-by-step instructions for implementing the art activities used in this study. Each art activity in the guide is aligned with the Florida Curriculum Framework, Sunshine State Standards for Social Studies. A five-year longitudinal pilot study of the Co-Study Curriculum process preceded this study and gave the impetus for it.; Findings from this study support the research questions, specifically, that the Co-Study Curriculum positively affected students' perceptions of their understanding of American history and their attitudes toward art. Implications of this study support that art education should consider broadening its concept and educational role by offering not only courses within its discipline but also by expanding its role through encouraging teachers of other subject matter to collaborate and integrate art into the presentation of their curriculum. Further, this broadened role should be taught within art education courses at the university level.