The effects of technical and conceptual teaching methodologies on student outcomes in life drawing

Two distinct teaching methodologies are used in college studio art classrooms, each producing different student outcomes. A gap exists in research comparing these methodologies and their effect on student achievement. In technical classrooms, students receive training through lecture, demonstration, and regular assessment. In conceptual classrooms, students are left to explore their ideas with little intervention from the instructor. The effects of these pedagogies may have an impact on student success in subsequent classes and in their careers. Self-efficacy theory was used as a theoretical foundation for this quantitative, quasi-experimental research study that compared student outcomes over the course of one semester from both technical and conceptual life drawing classrooms. Six research hypotheses were tested in order to examine the differences between conceptual and technical classes. Drawings were collected from the beginning and end of the semester from 79 students enrolled in life-drawing classes at 6 community colleges and a state university and were rated by 3 judges on 10 variables related to success in drawing. Students also rated their own improvement using the same criteria. Results from regression analysis using dummy variables demonstrated that number of previous art classes significantly affected student outcomes, while age and gender did not. Results from ANCOVA, ANOVA, and Mann-Whitney U analysis indicated that those in technical classes received higher scores from both judges and students on ten variables than those in conceptual classes. Results from this study may promote positive social change by assisting instructors in choosing a pedagogy that will promote student success in the arts. The effects of these pedagogies may have an impact on student success in subsequent classes and in their careers.