Graduation Date

5-2009

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department or Program

Education

Department or Program Chair

Madalienne F. Peters, EdD

First Reader

Madalienne F. Peters, EdD

Abstract

A foundational research assumption for this project is that the combination of open-ended-art and structured-art will enhance the development of the kindergartener. In today's standards driven classroom environment, art is often overlooked in place of text based curriculum. The idea of this project is to blend two approaches to teaching art and intertwine this approach into the rigorous daily curriculum. The deficits in each approach will be covered by the other, thereby providing opportunity for all students to reap the benefits. The purpose of this endeavor is to determine the positive and negative effects of blended-art, a combination of open-ended-art and structured-art, at the kindergarten level. The purpose of this study is to determine the best way to incorporate art into the kindergarten classroom. Intertwining art into kindergarten curriculum is crucial, but what is the best approach? The literature and surveys researched for this study suggests that there is room for improvement in the best practice approach for integrating art with curriculum in kindergarten, establishes why art is important in the classroom, what methods are currently used to incorporate art in the kindergarten classroom, and why the blended method is the best practice.

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