%0 Journal Article
%A Creech, A
%D 2010
%F discovery:1534079
%J Scientia Paedagogica Experimentalis
%N 2
%P 367-404
%T Every picture tells a story : using children's drawings as evidence in music education research
%U https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1534079/
%V 47
%X This paper presents findings from one phase of a mixed methods project that addressed the  question of how learning and teaching experience for violin pupils was influenced by  interpersonal interactions amongst teachers, pupils and parents. As part of the study, 337  violin pupils aged 8-18 were asked to draw pictures of ‘what it was like’ to learn the violin. It  was thought that the pictures could a) reveal aspects of the pupils’ perceptions of their  experiences of learning an instrument and b) triangulate and add depth to the results from  quantitative rating scales completed by the pupils. These scales measured interpersonal  dimensions of control and responsiveness as well as a range of outcomes that included  enjoyment of music, personal satisfaction, self-esteem, self-efficacy, motivation and musical  attainment. The pupils’ drawings were subjected to content analysis and coded accordingly.  Pupils were grouped according to how their drawings were coded. Analyses of variance were computed in order to test whether there were differences amongst these groups with regard to  scores for interpersonal dimensions and learning outcomes, as measured by the quantitative  scales. Several statistically significant differences were revealed, suggesting that the drawings  could be interpreted as visual representations of the quantitative findings. This paper sets out  the methodological approach adopted in treating children’s drawings as data and considers  whether the pictures could be accepted as a credible and coherent account of pupils‟  perceptions of learning a musical instrument.
%Z This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.