A review of primary school students' attitudes towards visual arts course and their painting performances

Abstract

This study aims to examine the attitudes of fourth-grade primary school students towards the Visual Arts Course and the success levels of their painting performances. The study is a descriptive scanning model with a quantitative research approach. The study was conducted in two class hours at a public primary school located in Hatay/Reyhanlı center in the fall semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. The study group consisted of 55 students aged 8-11 from classes 4-A and 4-B. While collecting the research data, the "Attitude Scale Towards Visual Arts Course" and the "Student Products (Paintings) Evaluation Form (Rubric)" were used. Descriptive analyses and t-tests were applied to the Attitude Scale Data. Descriptive statistics were applied to the data obtained in the evaluation of the paintings. Based on the findings, it is seen that the attitudes of the fourth-grade students towards the visual arts course are at a medium level. The attitudes of the students towards the course were compared according to their gender and age and no statistically significant difference was found. As a result of the paintings evaluated according to the Student Products (Paintings) Evaluation Form (Rubric), the students generally have a medium level of success in all criteria. While the highest average score was received from the criterion of "The work being appropriate to the subject", the lowest score was received from the sub-dimensions of "Image richness", "Using colours (originality, richness, colour transitions in the use of colours) and "Movement-Rhythm". As a result, both the attitudes of the fourth-grade students towards the visual arts course and the paintings they made in the course are consistent within themselves, but the fact that they are at a medium level in both cases reveals that the issue needs to be emphasized.