Department of Visual Arts

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Browsing Department of Visual Arts by Author "Botha, Nicla"

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    Three high school educators’ views on the influence of play on learners, with a focus on the current shift to online learning – a case study in the Western Cape of South Africa
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-04) Botha, Nicla; Costandius, Elmarie; Alexander, Neeske; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Visual Arts.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: I recognised the value of ‘play’ in my own art practice, while studying towards a Fine Art undergraduate degree. Approaching the making process with play allowed an exploratory process instead of a pressured environment of production. I realised that high school art learners could possibly also benefit from such an approach to their art projects. Therefore this study considered the presence of play in high school art education in order to determine the influence of play on the learners and what is needed for such play to be additionally included in high school art. This was achieved by investigating three high school art educators’ perspectives on play in South African art education; also highlighting the increase of online learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. This is an empirical research study as the experiences, observations and interpretations of educators are central to the study in this research. A case study research design was undertaken for conducting qualitative research by means of individual interviews and a group play workshop with the three participants. The participants were selected using non-probability sampling. Meaning was derived from their individual points of view, therefore an interpretivist paradigm was required. Inductive content analysis was used to draw themes from the discussions in the interviews and workshop. The study found that play could have a beneficial influence on high school art learners. Yet there are factors that hinder play; especially time, fear of failure and the pressure of achieving high marks. Art educators however have a unique opportunity to foster a safe environment where making mistakes is acceptable, to explore and to discover through play.