This thesis has been submitted for the masters of education (honours)

This thesis has been submitted for the Masters of Education (Honours) at the University of Canberra by Misty Adoniou Title: Drawing Conclusions: an investigation into the use of drawing to support non-narrative writing in the primary school classroom Submitted August 2008 Drawing Conclusions Copyright of Misty Adoniou 2008 Drawing Conclusions Drawing Conclusions: an investigation into the use of drawing to support non-narrative writing in the primary school classroom Abstract When asked the question ‘Doesn’t your painting interfere with your writing?’ author/ writer e.e.cummings replied, ‘On the contrary they love each other (Hubbard 1989) This thesis seeks to discover whether this ‘mutual affection’ is a useful one in primary schools, and uses as its general premise the notion that drawing and writing are comparable communicative semiotic systems The primary investigation of this thesis is to discover whether writing outcomes are improved when children are asked to draw before writing This proposition will be tested beyond the early childhood years, and with non-narrative written texts, explanations and procedures specifically A secondary investigation into how the drawings may be supportive to writing is also presented This is explored through an analysis of the children’s drawings to identify visual conventions linked to purpose in the drawings which correlate to verbal conventions linked to purpose in the writing Drawing Conclusions Form B Certificate of Authorship of Thesis Except where indicated in footnotes, quotations and the bibliography, I certify that I am the sole author of the thesis submitted today entitled ‘Drawing Conclusions: an investigation into the use of drawings to support non-narrative writing in primary school classrooms’ in terms of the Statement of Requirements for a Thesis issued by the University Higher Degrees Committee Signature of Candidate: ……… …………………… Date: ……December 1st 2008……………………… Drawing Conclusions CHAPTER ONE ‘DOESN’T YOUR PAINTING INTERFERE WITH YOUR WRITING?’: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY PURPOSE OF THE STUDY BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 11 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 22 DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY 24 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 26 Introduction 26 Writing 26 Drawing 27 Symbol weaving 29 The Crowded Curriculum 30 Understanding Visual Literacy 32 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY 34 STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS 35 GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED WITHIN THE THESIS 36 CHAPTER TWO 39 SYMBOL WEAVING - A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .39 Introduction 39 SYMBOL SYSTEMS 39 An overview 39 Symbol systems, multimodality and schooling 43 Visual and verbal symbol systems 48 NEW LITERACIES 54 An overview 54 Symbol systems and ‘New Literacies’ 55 Visual Literacy 56 Multiliteracies – the theory 62 Multiliteracies – pedagogy 66 WRITING 72 An overview 72 The importance of writing success 72 How language is learned 73 Development of writing 77 Purposes for writing 80 Teaching writing 83 Assessment of writing 85 DRAWING 92 An overview 92 Informing theories in Art Education – a comparison with literacy education 92 The Development of Drawing in Children 94 Purpose of Children’s Drawings 102 The Role of Drawing in the School Years 109 Summary of the benefits of drawing 116 Drawing Conclusions WHERE THIS STUDY SITS IN THE FIELD 125 Visual and Verbal Links Beyond the Beginning Years 131 CONCLUSION 139 CHAPTER THREE .142 REINTRODUCING CHILDREN’S PICTURES TO CHILDREN’S WORDS – A DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY 142 Introduction 142 CHOOSING THE METHODOLOGY 142 Introduction 142 Rationale for the methodology 143 Considerations in the methodology 145 DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY 147 The Primary Investigation 147 Introduction 147 Description of the Study 147 Permission to Conduct the Study 148 Selection of students 148 Research Procedure 149 Data analysis 152 The Secondary Investigation 162 CONCLUSION 180 CHAPTER FOUR 181 GOOD INTENTIONS: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR USING DRAWING IN THE WRITING CLASSROOM .181 INTRODUCTION 181 DISCUSSION OF THE RESULTS 182 The writing 182 The drawing 183 The relationship between the drawing and writing results 184 Why was the drawing supportive? 187 RECOMMENDATIONS 189 Teachers and schools must better understand the ways in which symbol systems work together 189 Teachers and schools must better understand drawing as a socially-constructed learning tool 191 Teachers, schools and systems must position the Visual Arts as a core curriculum subject 198 FUTURE DIRECTIONS 201 ACHIEVEMENTS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 204 CONCLUSION 206 BIBLIOGRAPHY 209 APPENDICES 219 APPENDIX A 220 Children’s writing and typed transcripts 220 Drawing Conclusions APPENDIX B 234 APPENDIX C 235 Writing analysis grid for Procedures 235 APPENDIX D 236 Analysis of Control Group procedural writing 236 APPENDIX D 245 Analysis of Treatment Group procedures 245 APPENDIX D 255 Analysis of Control Group Explanations 255 Analysis of Treatment Group Explanations 267 APPENDIX E 279 Procedures 279 APPENDIX E 281 Explanations 281 APPENDIX F 283 Word count analysis 283 APPENDIX G 284 Images Procedures 284 Images Explanations 287 APPENDIX H 291 Drawing analysis grid for Procedures 291 APPENDIX H 300 Drawing analysis grid for Explanations 300 Drawing Conclusions Chapter One ‘Doesn’t your painting interfere with your writing?’: an introduction to the study When asked the question ‘Doesn’t your painting interfere with your writing?’ author/ writer e.e.Cummings replied, ‘On the contrary they love each other (Hubbard 1989) This thesis seeks to discover whether this ‘mutual affection’ is a useful one in primary schools, and uses as its general premise the notion that drawing and writing are comparable communicative semiotic systems Purpose of the Study The primary investigation of this thesis is to discover whether writing outcomes are improved when children are asked to draw before writing This proposition will be tested beyond the early childhood years, and with non-narrative written texts, explanations and procedures specifically A secondary investigation into how the drawings may be supportive to writing is also presented This is explored through an analysis of the children’s drawings to identify visual conventions linked to purpose in the drawings which correlate to verbal conventions linked to purpose in the writing Drawing Conclusions For the past four decades there has been significant research into the relationship between drawing and writing, beginning in the seventies with studies of the writing process in emergent writers and the repeated observation that drawing plays a role in that process (Clay 1975; Clay 1979; Graves 1983) These observations were based in a theoretical paradigm that explained both drawing and writing as innate, cognitive expression They also proposed an evolutionary relationship between the two, principally claiming writing evolves from drawing (Graves 1983) By the 1980’s, the theories of Vygotsky (1962, 1978) had begun to influence thoughts and directions in Western educational research, including theories around both writing and drawing development in children Vygotsky theorised that drawing and writing were socially constructed forms of communication, and that both inform each other in a dialogic process, rather than writing supplanting drawing in a subordinating process This is the theoretical core of social constructivist theory, that is, knowledge is a social construct and learning is a social activity ‘When knowledge is viewed as socially constructed, we become, as educators, engaged in a relationship with others in meaning-making rather than truth-finding’: 197 (Bryant and Gallen 2003) And so Vygotskyian social constructivist theory introduced two new perspectives into research into writing, both of which are key foundational understandings for this thesis: -a) the role of others in the writing process -b) the role of other symbol systems in the writing process It is from this theoretical perspective that this thesis has been written While much has been written in recent years about social constructivist approaches to writing, less has been written about similar approaches to drawing, and less still which seeks to explore Drawing Conclusions the relationship between drawing and writing from a sociocultural perspective This thesis seeks to contribute to the literature in this field Drawing Conclusions 10 Drawing analysis grid for Procedures Treatment Group B3 Genre: Procedure/recipe Field - what Verbal tools Visual tools and examples from drawing Purpose: to instruct how to cook pikelets Field realised through appropriate verbs, noun groups, circumstantial information and topic specific vocabulary The image conveys a message of instruction achieved through the following: A representation of both the individual elements and their relationship to the whole image Visual representation of noun groups a cup Visual representation of quantifiers four spoons Processes represented by action lines or inclusion of symbolic representation of the action spoon mixing Drawing Conclusions 297 Tenor – who Verbal tools Formality realised through vocabulary and syntax which demonstrates attitude eg Voice, modality Visual tools The image clearly prompts an understanding in the viewer that they Examples are being instructed how to cook something from drawing Absence of actors to reinforce 3rd person objectivity Images are ‘offered’ to the viewer with no direct demands on the viewer All parts of the image are on offer through frontal eye level views Drawing Conclusions 298 Mode - how Verbal tools Coherent and sequential realised through appropriate thematising tense, connectives and print conventions Visual tools Visual techniques are used to represent the message Structural components and participants are differentiated through with examples boxing, or colour from drawing Sequence represented through colour, lines, arrows or numbers Participants placed on the page in a manner which mirrors the written genre Four spoons of sugar Drawing Conclusions 299 Appendix H Drawing analysis grid for Explanations Treatment Group B1 Genre: Explanation Field - what Verbal tools Visual tools with examples from drawing Purpose: to explain how honey is made Field realised through appropriate verbs, noun groups, circumstantial information and topic specific vocabulary The image conveys an explanation through the following: A representation of both the individual elements and their relationship to the whole image Visual representation of noun groups a bee Processes represented by action lines or inclusion of symbolic representation of the anchor ’machine is cleaning the beehives’ Conversion processes of cause and effect represented by arrows or lines Drawing Conclusions 300 Tenor – who Verbal tools Formality realised through vocabulary and syntax which demonstrates attitude eg Voice, modality Visual tools The image clearly prompts an understanding in the viewer they are with viewing an explanation of a process examples from drawing Images are ‘offered’ to the viewer with no direct demands on the viewer Focus on the process in the images Drawing Conclusions 301 Mode - how Verbal tools Coherent and sequential realised through appropriate thematising tense, connectives and print conventions Visual tools Visual techniques are used to represent the message Participants placed on the page in a manner which mirrors the written with examples genre from drawing Sequence represented through colour, lines, arrows or numbers Salience of participants represented through colour, size or placement Comparative size of bee and truck Drawing Conclusions 302 Drawing analysis grid for Explanations Treatment Group B2 Genre: Explanation Field - what Verbal tools Visual tools with examples from drawing Purpose: to explain how honey is made Field realised through appropriate verbs, noun groups, circumstantial information and topic specific vocabulary The image conveys an explanation through the following: A representation of both the individual elements and their relationship to the whole image Visual representation of noun groups beehives Processes represented by action lines or inclusion of symbolic representation of the anchor Conversion processes of cause and effect represented by arrows or lines Drawing Conclusions 303 Tenor – who Verbal tools Formality realised through vocabulary and syntax which demonstrates attitude eg Voice, modality Visual tools The image clearly prompts an understanding in the viewer they are viewing an explanation of a process with examples from drawing Images are ‘offered’ to the viewer with no direct demands on the viewer Focus on the process in the images Drawing Conclusions 304 Mode - how Verbal tools Coherent and sequential realised through appropriate thematising tense, connectives and print conventions Visual tools Visual techniques are used to represent the message Participants placed on the page in a manner which mirrors the written with examples genre from drawing Sequence represented through colour, lines, arrows or numbers Salience of participants represented through colour, size or placement Comparative sizes of bee and truck Drawing Conclusions 305 Drawing analysis grid for Explanations Treatment Group B3 Genre: Explanation Field - what Verbal tools Visual tools with examples from drawing Purpose: to explain how honey is made Field realised through appropriate verbs, noun groups, circumstantial information and topic specific vocabulary The image conveys an explanation through the following: A representation of both the individual elements and their relationship to the whole image Visual representation of noun groups Processes represented by action lines or inclusion of symbolic representation of the anchor Honey pouring into jars Conversion processes of cause and effect represented by arrows or lines Drawing Conclusions 306 Tenor – who Verbal tools Formality realised through vocabulary and syntax which demonstrates attitude eg Voice, modality Visual tools The image clearly prompts an understanding in the viewer they are with viewing an explanation of a process examples from drawing Images are ‘offered’ to the viewer with no direct demands on the viewer Focus on the process in the images Drawing Conclusions 307 Mode - how Verbal tools Coherent and sequential realised through appropriate thematising tense, connectives and print conventions Visual tools Visual techniques are used to represent the message Participants placed on the page in a manner which mirrors the written with examples genre from drawing Sequence represented through colour, lines, arrows or numbers Salience of participants represented through colour, size or placement comparative size of bee and beekeeper Drawing Conclusions 308 Drawing analysis grid for Explanations Treatment Group B4 Genre: Explanation Field - what Verbal tools Purpose: to explain how honey is made Field realised through appropriate verbs, noun groups, circumstantial information and topic specific vocabulary Visual tools The image conveys an explanation through the following: with A representation of both the individual elements and their relationship to the whole image examples from drawing Visual representation of noun groups truck filled with beehives Processes represented by action lines or inclusion of symbolic representation of the action honey pouring into jars Conversion processes of cause and effect represented by arrows or lines Drawing Conclusions 309 Tenor – who Verbal tools Formality realised through vocabulary and syntax which demonstrates attitude eg Voice, modality Visual tools The image clearly prompts an understanding in the viewer they are with viewing an explanation of a process examples from drawing Images are ‘offered’ to the viewer with no direct demands on the viewer Focus on the process in the images factory conveyor belt pouring honey and sticking on labels Drawing Conclusions 310 Mode - how Verbal tools Coherent and sequential realised through appropriate thematising tense, connectives and print conventions Visual tools Visual techniques are used to represent the message Participants placed on the page in a manner which mirrors the written with examples genre from drawing Sequence represented through colour, lines, arrows or numbers Salience of participants represented through colour, size or placement Comparative size of final product and truck Drawing Conclusions 311 ... both of which are key foundational understandings for this thesis: -a) the role of others in the writing process -b) the role of other symbol systems in the writing process It is from this theoretical... of this thesis Visual literacy, founded within the Arts, has more recently found a curriculum home in English Whilst this has given status to the visual within the curriculum, the focus has been. .. this has not been articulated in the studies Indeed there are limited discussions of the purpose of the writing in each study 3) their limited age focus The majority of the early research has