This study phenomenologically explored how elementary school teachers experience art teaching and learning materials and how they perceive “ideal art teaching and learning materials”. According to prior research, elementary school teachers extensi...
This study phenomenologically explored how elementary school teachers experience art teaching and learning materials and how they perceive “ideal art teaching and learning materials”. According to prior research, elementary school teachers extensively utilize materials beyond textbooks; however, materials shared in online teacher communities show low alignment with the national curriculum and are heavily concentrated in the area of expression. Nevertheless, research on how teachers perceive “good materials” and how such perceptions are formed remains insufficient.
Accordingly, this study applied Max van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenological methodology, conducting etymological analysis and in-depth interviews with three elementary school teachers who have extensive experience in art instruction. The five existentials proposed by van Manen—temporality, materiality, corporeality, spatiality, and relationality—were utilized as an analytical framework to explore teachers' material experiences from multiple dimensions.
The findings revealed that teachers commonly perceived the art subject from four perspectives. First, the goal of elementary school is to achieve performance standards, and the main learning content presented in teacher's guides should be taught. Second, classroom and student contexts differ, and growth in art occurs at individual levels. Third, art is a subject for visually expressing one's thoughts, but elementary students require step-by-step support. Fourth, art is a subject that supports individuality and creativity.
Analysis through the five existentials revealed the following: In temporality, teachers experienced a transition "from enjoyment to objectives." In materiality, they sought balance "between structure and openness." In corporeality, they experienced materials "between presenting and observing." In spatiality, they searched for and utilized materials "from online to offline spaces." In relationality, they applied dual standards "between convenience and depth," differentiating between materials shared with fellow teachers and those provided to students.
These experiential analyses converged into four characteristics of ideal art teaching and learning materials. First, “Purposeful Alignment” means that materials must be clearly grounded in curriculum achievement standards. Second, “Contextual Flexibility” indicates that materials should be adjustable to fit classroom and student situations. Third, “Sequential Support” suggests that the level of guidance should vary by stage according to learning content. Fourth, “Structured Openness” implies that while core frameworks should be provided, space should be left for students' creative expression.
This study phenomenologically identified the essence of elementary school teachers' experiences with art teaching and learning materials and derived characteristics of ideal materials, thereby providing implications for the development of art teaching and learning materials and teacher education.