| Students labeled with behavior disorders are being placed every day in general education art classes. This is a study of four such students as they participated in their junior high and high school art classes for one trimester. The focus of this study centered on the successes experienced by the students while participating in their art classes, and the factors involved in facilitating success.; The research methodology used in this study was qualitative. The primary question was, "What is the nature of successful/meaningful art experiences for this special population of BD students in the regular education art classroom?" This study was conducted through three sub-questions: (1) How do these special students find success in their art class experience? (2) How do environmental factors/labels/attitudes play a role in the students' educational experiences? (3) What is happening in the art room that provides positive, meaningful experiences for these students?; I followed these four students for twelve weeks, the duration of their trimester art classes. During that time I engaged in participant observation which included sitting in class with the students, taking notes, talking with them about their work, and conversing with their teachers. Information from the various sources such as observations and discussions with the students and their teachers was triangulated to formulate a rich description of the observed experience.; Each of the students had unique and complex lives. Therefore, this research exists as theory of the unique or the particular. I observed the students as they experienced many successes in their art classes along with some disappointments. The four students all found ways to engage in the art making process that challenged them and gave them the opportunity to have enriched lives while making something worthwhile.; Art classes played an important role in the lives of each of these students. The nature of working in a community of other artists, engaging in making something which is uniquely one's own, and having it witnessed by others should be recognized as highly valuable for this special population of students labeled behavior disordered. |
