The intelligence of seeing : an enquiry into the relationships between perception theory, communication theory and the practice and teaching of drawing

The aim of this research is to develop a method of teaching drawing that empowers fine art undergraduates' practice by broadening their awareness of the inter-relationships between ways of seeing, social belief-systems, and ways of drawing. The domain of drawing is explored via a synthesis of perception and communication theories. This combination is mapped as a matrix integrating the social functions of drawing with the systems of semiotic choices and levels of perception which facilitate students to realise meaning in drawings, and which facilitate viewers to negotiate meaning from existing drawings. The matrix builds on, and develops, existing material in the field of systemic-functional semiotics. Within the parameters of a constructivist paradigm of research, a new drawing-teaching programme is designed, tested over a period of two academic years, and evaluated using the recognised criteria of authenticity proposed by Egon Guba and Yvonna Lincoln. Two classes of data are collected and analysed. Primarily, those gathered using Rensis Likert's method, which elicits group attitudes, indicate positive shifts in the student groups' attitudes to ontological constructs concerning relationships between perception, communication and drawing. Secondly, students' drawings, analysed using the systemic-functional semiotic matrix, provide visual evidence of an expansion in the range of ontological constructs. Analysis of the data demonstrates the validity of the hypothesis: that a drawing-teaching programme based on a synthesis of perception and communication theories may expand students' awareness and understanding of a range of constructions of reality, which ultimately may empower their drawing practice.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

phd

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Year dc:date.issued

2001

Author dc:creator

• Riley, Howard

• NC Darlunio Cynllun Dylunio

Dc Identifier Grantnumber

UWTSD

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.uwtsd.ac.uk:1078