The philosophical bases of the aims of primary art curriculum (1960s-1990s): Changes and implications

With different philosophical bases, there are different interpretations of the value of art education for school children. From a traditional viewpoint, the aim of art is to cultivate in the child's love and respect for cultural heritage. The behavioral conception is tied to the learning of visual concepts and skills in art production. The cognitive school puts forth the articulation of children's thinking as the prime value of art education. The experiential programs would nurture children's learning through their reconstruction of experience in their environment. In this chapter, Posner's (1995) five theoretical perspectives on analyzing curriculum is employed as a framework of study. Three official primary art curricula published from 1960s to 1990s are the documents being analyzed. The findings reveal that there are some dominant philosophical conceptions behind the making of primary art curriculum. Shifting perspectives, from those of traditional and behavioral to experiential and cognitive, are also identified over time. These shifts and changes are best understood by studying the political, socio-economic context in which the curriculum is conceived and enacted. The findings also illustrate how the goals of art curricula are inter-connected between the past and the present, and how they help us extend into the future. Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.