Creech, A; (2010) Every picture tells a story : using children's drawings as evidence in music education research. Scientia Paedagogica Experimentalis , 47 (2) pp. 367-404.

Text Creech(Inpress)Every_Picture.pdf - Accepted Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 13 May 2025. Download (1MB) | Request a copy

Abstract

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.

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