What can Art Teachers do to Promote the Benefits of Studying Art and Design?

Abstract

The aim of this research was to discover what teachers could do to promote the benefits of studying Art and Design (A&D) at GCSE, as the EBacc’s[1] recent introduction has narrowed down GCSE options. Research was carried out with the hypothesis that students would neglect A&D at GCSE due to a limited understanding of the career prospects or transferable skills that A&D education promotes.

Research included the stigmatisation of A&D education, the attitudes of students towards the subject and how the EBacc might potentially impact the number of students opting for creative GCSEs.

A poster that communicated these benefits was produced in response to data. The poster, which could be displayed in A&D classrooms, was trialled with a focus group and a class of Year 9 students. The Year 9 students were asked to write what they felt were the benefits of studying A&D both before and after viewing the poster. The poster was found to have an 83.33% success rate.

[1] EBacc = English Baccalaureate: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-baccalaureate-ebacc/english-baccalaureate-ebacc