Early visual arts education in Hong Kong kindergartens

Abstract

Early visual arts education (EVAE) has been included in the Education Blueprint for the 21st Century (Education Commission, 2000) since the turn of the new millennium. However, as Hong Kong’s privatized early childhood education (ECE) has become thoroughly market-driven, Chinese teachers and parents value academic skills and achievements more highly than ‘non-academic’ visual arts. Additionally, teachers have not been trained in visual arts teaching skills, EVAE in Hong Kong has been neglected by parents, teachers, principals, and even researchers. This dissertation examines the implementation of EVAE in Hong Kong kindergartens and whether there exists a belief-and-practice gap among the of kindergarten teachers. This study applied a mixed-method research. A pilot study was conducted to test the feasibility of the research design and to develop the instruments for the main study. Altogether, 33 kindergarten teachers were surveyed, six of whom were also interviewed and their visual arts classes observed. The results were used to refine the survey, interview and observation tools and to specify the research questions for the main study. Study One investigated Hong Kong kindergarten teachers’ reported beliefs and practices about EVAE. Random sampling was used to identify and recruit 21 voucher-eligible kindergartens, which are the main ECE providers in Hong Kong. All the case schools’ teachers were surveyed, with a total of 243 questionnaires being collected. Data analysis yielded five important factors in EVAE in Hong Kong: (1) Holistic development; (2) Subject knowledge; (3) Child-centeredness; (4) Teaching approaches; and, (5) Creative pedagogies. Subsequently, 32 classes from the 21 kindergartens were video-recorded and coded using this five-factor framework. Practices observed in the classroom were compared with those reported by teachers in questionnaires. Study Two was qualitative in nature, and involved conducting semi-structured interviews to understand further the case kindergarten teachers’ beliefs and practices about EVAE. Altogether, 29 teachers were interviewed after being observed. The interview data were transcribed and analyzed into thematic networks based on the five-factor framework developed in Study One. The results indicated that both the five EVAE factors and teachers’ demographic characteristics were both influential on teachers’ beliefs and practices. A belief-practice gap was identified, in that most teachers reported believing in child-centered teaching while practicing direct teaching, and supported creativity in visual arts teaching but delivered closed-ended instruction. The teachers struggled between two approaches, without sufficient support from government, schools and/or parents. The dissertation highlights the need to develop culturally appropriate pedagogies in Hong Kong kindergartens; additional implications, limitations, and future research directions for this topic are also discussed.