| A theoretical framework linking the disciplines of art production, art history, art criticism, and aesthetics was conceptualized from the research on those disciplines, cognition, inquiry, and pedagogy in art education. A second framework illustrating a sequence for instructional process was also developed. A pilot course in preservice discipline-based art education methods, conducted at an urban University, provided a naturalistic context to accumulate data related to these frameworks.;The purpose of the study was to investigate how the two frameworks succeeded as graphic representations based on an analysis and interpretation of data collected from the research context. The study used qualitative research methods to analyze the data. Data consisted of the author's fieldnotes, team faculty fieldnotes, students' reflective journals, a portfolio of their written coursework and artwork, their course evaluations, personal interviews with faculty and students, and videotaped documentation of course sessions.;The study included an in-depth description of the perceptions, behaviors, and artifacts produced by a sample of five undergraduate elementary classroom generalists. The study also investigated faculty and student perceptions about the learning environment, the structure and content of the curriculum, and effective instructional strategies.;Although some preservice generalists were able to learn substantive content about the four art disciplines, they experienced difficulty in translating DBAE content into written curricula which they field tested during their brief practica in elementary classrooms.;As a result of the data analysis, pedagogical issues such as evaluation assumed a more prominent role in the conceptual frameworks.;Some instructional strategies were more effective than others in the course setting. Faculty perceived the need for more concrete approaches to curriculum delivery to meet the needs of students who had a wide range of entry-level skills.;Conclusions and recommendations provided direction for the creation of a possible model for future preservice art education methods courses at the institution. |
