A study to understand the role of visual arts in the teaching and learning of science

The research was carried out using the qualitative research design that allowed the researchers to obtain a deeper understanding of the research situation. In this case, the researchers studied the participants’ perceptions on the integration of visual arts in science. This research design known as phenomenology, enables ‘the researchers [to] develop an understanding of a subject’s or subjects’ “reality” however he, she, or they so perceive’ (Leedy, 1997:161). As the research title suggests, the researchers intended to understand the role that visual arts play in the teaching and learning of science. The research objective includes the investigation of how this integration will affect students’ motivation level too. Qualitative researches are carried out using real life situations instead of artificial experimenting as they occur naturally, encouraging researchers to have open-minded approaches towards collecting and interpreting the data (Pratt, 2006). Berger (1996) explains that a situation can usually mean a number of things, thus, the researchers are required to ‘lift veils’ (Blumer, 1976:15) in order to learn the inmost meanings. Consequently, to obtain effective results, the researchers observed and handed out survey forms to the participants. Pratt (2006) also suggests that for researchers to be able to develop a good understanding of people’s outlooks or experiences, they should be close to them, observing and studying them from time to time.

In terms of sampling, thirty-one students and four teachers participated in this study. The sample was selected from an international school in Malaysia. The researchers selected all the Grade 3 students for this study. Choosing students from the same grade level allowed the researchers to maintain consistency in terms of their age, maturity and level of understanding. Also, the researchers were able to concentrate on a specific number of participants as students from two out of the four Grade 3 classes were selected. This is known as quota sampling (Sharma, 2012). The researchers selected the homeroom teachers for this research for besides being their science teacher; they also spend a lot of time with the students. This allowed the researchers to understand how these teachers plan and facilitate their students’ learning and development based on individual learning styles and objectives derived from the curriculum.

Tsimboukidou (2010) suggests that researchers are required to develop a bond with the participants of the study in order to obtain a deeper understanding and win their trust. The respondents were reminded to provide honest answers while attempting the survey questionnaire. As this research required the observation method in collecting data, the researchers obtained permission to video record the respective two classrooms’ homeroom teachers’ lessons. Two out of the four Grade 3 classes were observed by the researchers. This method was essential as it helped the researchers jot down details of how the teachers integrated visual arts into the teaching and learning of science. Silverman (2001) described the objectives of observational research as the viewing of events, actions, norms, and values. A science lesson was observed in which the teacher taught a particular science topic through the usage of a few elements of visual arts in order to develop students’ interest and understanding of the topic. A classroom observation form which included questions about the teacher’s teaching methods, her instructions, students’ interest and motivation level was used. As these questions were answered, the researchers were able to obtain a clearer understanding on the classroom practices adopted during the teaching and learning process.

The researchers designed two survey questionnaire; one for students and another for the teachers. The students’ questionnaire consisted of three subjective questions inquiring their perceptions about learning science using visual arts’ elements. They were required to also provide an example of a particular lesson they remember. In addition, the survey asked eight yes/no questions that enabled the researchers to understand their motivation towards learning science with the usage of visual arts. The teachers’ questionnaire included ten open-ended questions which allowed the researchers to understand the teachers’ perceptions on the use of visual arts’ strands in science lessons. The teachers were asked questions on the learning outcomes of science and visual arts, students’ development of skills and understanding, the teaching methods used as well as the changes noticed in students’ interest and motivation level too.

The researchers used the triangulation method which supports multiple methods of data collection (Pratt, 2006). In this case, the method consisted of informal interviews, classroom observation and survey questionnaires. At first, the researchers tried to obtain a deeper understanding by informally discussing the planned lessons and objectives with the teachers before the lesson. Secondly, the lessons were observed and details were jotted. Lastly, the lessons were reviewed. The survey questionnaire was handed out after the lesson to learn not only the teachers’ but also the students’ perceptions on the lessons delivered. Merriam’s (1998, cited in Tsimboukidou, 2010:117) descriptions on qualitative research’s characteristics were adopted in this study where ‘firstly, the study attempted to understand the situation from both the participants’ and teachers’ perspectives and secondly, the researchers took on the role of the research instrument to sensitively collect and analyse the data’.