Running head: A CHILDS QUALITATIVE RESEARCH PAPER

A Childs Drawing Qualitative Research Paper

Jennifer Salata
University of Missouri

A CHILDS QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

A Childs Drawing Analysis Research Paper

In todays elementary schools, art is classically seen as a special for students to
take a few times a week during a portion of their school years. What many teachers do
not understand is that art can be incorporated into the classroom in diverse ways. An
important lesson the arts teach according to Elliot Eisner (2002) is that the arts help
children learn to say what is not said (pg. 3). When children feel reserved and are
holding back from saying certain things, they can say things through art within the details
and the type of art made. Incorporating art into the yearly curriculum allows students to
expand their knowledge as both students and artists.
From the time children are capable of holding a pencil, there is a deeper meaning
to the thought process about what they are drawing or writing. They might not be able to
express it on paper, but in their minds they are creating a picture with detailed reasoning
behind each movement. Childrens abilities to create drawings and to understand art
develop in a parallel fashion to changes in their cognitive, emotional, social, and physical
growth (Erickson & Young, 1996, pg. 37). As this growth occurs, the child is entering
different art stages, allowing them to expand their artistic ability as they age and enter a
new stage. Viktor Lowenfeld founded these stages, named the Lowenfeldian Stages.
According to him, children progress through stages of development in their artwork in
predictable ways, with wide variations within an age norm or stage (Erickson & Young,
1996, pg. 37). There are six stages defined by the childs age and approximate
characterisitcs of the drawing.. These six stages are as follows: The Scribbling Stage
(two-four years): Beginnings of Self-Expression, The Preschematic Stage (four-seven
years): First Representational Attempts, The Schematic Stage (seven-nine years): The

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Achievement of a Form Concept, The Gang Age (nine-twelve years): The Dawning
Realism, The Pseudo-Naturalistic Stage (twelve-fourteen years): The Age of Reasoning,
and finally the Adolescent Art (fourteen-seventeen years): The Period of Decision
(Brittain & Lowenfield, 1970, pgs. 474-479). These stages are important for teachers to
take note of per each individual to see their development as a whole over time as well as
students who are moving ahead quickly or visa versa, moving at a slower pace than
others.
Methods
For the assigned research, I picked a student from my Phase II Field Experience
to sit with me and draw me a portrait of either herself, her and her family, or of an
outdoor setting. In my findings, I am going to share the details of the drawing and
analyze the drawing completed by the fourth grade student and how it correlates to the
Lowenfeldian Stage she is categorized in.
Findings
The fourth grade student I asked to draw a picture of was first hesitant what to
draw, but decided to draw an outdoor scene of one of her best friends backyard, where
she spends a lot of her time. She was given a blank sheet of paper and writing utensils
consisting of regular pen and pencil, and an assortment of colored pencils, markers, and
crayons. After stating she wanted to draw the backyard scene, she asked me if she could
draw in pen first. I said yes because I was intrigued why she chose to use pen when given
a multitude of colors. She started off her drawing by making a long brown tree stump and
the green leaves of the tree. She then picked up a green marker and filled in the top of the
tree in a swirl pattern. Next, she drew a swing hanging from the tree that she stated her

A CHILDS QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

and her friend like to sit on when it is nice outside and take turn swinging. She then told
me she was going to draw herself on the swing. She drew her friends cat standing next to
the tree making a purr noise by using a speech bubble. Lastly, she drew a street on the
right side of the paper, telling me her friend lives on a busy street that cars are often
driving on. She included one car, a bystander walking their dog, and a few houses that
she told me represented duplexes.

Figure 1. Example Drawing in the Schematic Stage

After watching this student make her drawing and examining it afterwards, I felt
that she is in the latter part of the Schematic Stage. This stage typically describes children
ages seven to nine years old, which is fitting for my student who is nine years old. There
are certain characteristics that could crossover from this stage into the next, The Gang
Age, but I felt she was a better fit in the Schematic Stage. This stage has a focus on

A CHILDS QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

achievement of a form concept. When looking at this stages identification chart, some
things stuck out to me. According to Brittain and Lowenfeld (1970), a characteristic she
exemplified was that her drawing showed concept, not percept and that the objects drawn
are bold, direct, and a flat representation (pg. 476). My student drew every object as a
flat representation even though she is fully aware they are real, perceptible objects. She
explained to me everything she had been drawing. For example, when drawing herself on
the swing, she was not sure how to draw herself sitting on the swing and how to position
her legs. Another characteristic is that the drawing reflects a childs active knowledge of
the environment. In her drawing, she is familiar with tree shapes, even though she could
not draw in detail. She is aware of what road streets look like and how houses are spaced
out, even though she drew everything as a flat image. These details led me to believe she
should be placed in this stage because she has a lot of understanding of form, placement,
and human representation, which is important. She had understanding of everything she
was drawing; she was just unsure about how to put it on paper. By giving her more
opportunities to draw, she will be moving up to the Gang Age in due time.
Conclusion
It is important for teachers to incorporate art into curricula, no matter the age
level. Every child has artistic ability regardless of what it looks like on paper. Art should
be a positive experience, and when teachers encourage their students to self reflect and
connect their art to life, teachers can see a different side of the student. If students reflect
on their art pieces to their teacher, the teacher then can confirm the student is an artist
making them more willing to continue artwork. Just as we reflect on our art pieces after a
studio project and explain how it connects to the current theme (ex. identity), we can

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teach our students to do the same thing. They can be proud of their artwork and realize
that there is no such thing as perfect art. Students can share details about their artwork to
their teacher or the class to show their own masterpiece, increasing their confidence. Two
tips that go hand-in-hand from Margaret Johnsons article 25 Tips for Teachers (2008)
were to share art experiences and have a weekly Artists Circle so that children can
share and show their work (pg. 76, 78). By doing this, teachers are extending childrens
thinking from simple concepts to more complex ideas. When they have to describe their
ideas, they are explaining the steps they took to complete the drawing with possibly more
specific meanings. When students artistic development goes unnoticed, the words to
describe a picture cannot be spoken. When teachers acknowledge students artwork they
are fostering room for improvement and development within the student.
After finishing this research, I am more aware of the importance of incorporating
art in the classroom. Art allows students to express themselves in unique ways by taking
a step away from real life for a few moments with the use of art. I want to be sure to
integrate art lessons in each subject I teach, giving my students the chance to grow as
artists and students at the same time.

A CHILDS QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

References
Eisner, E. W. (2002). The arts and the creation of mind. New Haven: Yale University
Erickson, M., & Young, B. (1996) What every educator should (but maybe doesnt)
know. School Arts, 96(2), 40-42
Johnson, M. H. (2008). Developing verbal and visual literacy through experiences in the
visual arts. Young Children, 63(1), 74-79.
Lownefeld, V., & Brittain, W. L. (1970). Creative and mental growth. New York:
Macmillan