En bildpedagogisk studie : lärare undervisar och elever gör bilder

Sammanfattning: The art education in Swedish primary and secondary schools is far from perfect and as a result pupils seldom reach the desired standard. National evaluations in 1989 and 1992 confirm this. Teachers admit that they lack specific subject knowledge and evaluation reveals that many aspects of older curricula still prevail. The way in which the present problems may have arisen is described through the history of art education in Swedish schools in this study. It is against this background that the study has been conducted with the intention of examining how the 1994 national curriculum influences two Swedish primary school teachers.The theoretical base and ground for the analysis are the paradigm of the Swedish school system and the national curriculum for art education with the four aspects: 1. Seeing and observing, 2. Picture production, 3. Picture interpretation, 4. Using pictures. Each aspect is explained according to relevant theory. The objectives of the artwork are finally described and analysed according to four aspects: 1. Mimetic, 2. Objective, 3. Expressive, 4. Pragmatic. The study was designed as an action research project in four phases: 1. Problem identification, 2. Teachers´ diaries keeping and pupils´ portfolio collection, 3. Analyses of diaries and portfolios, and 4. Evaluation together with the teachers.The results are presented in three parts: Analyses of the diaries, the result of the pupils´ artwork, and finally a discussion of the evaluation together with the teachers.It can be clearly seen from the summaries of the teachers´ diaries that they have strived to meet the goals and aims in the curriculum. They have been able to teach according to the Swedish curriculum in art education. This result is confirmed by the analyses of the pupils? artwork. The two teachers showed great interest in having their work documented and analysed. The study was useful not only for them, but also for their colleagues and pupils. The artwork is a physically observable result and has an attraction that highlights the communicative possibilities of pictures.The teachers maintain that a well-educated class teacher is best for teaching art in primary school, not a special art teacher.