Investigating Myths and Perceptions of Visual Arts Education: Findings of a Pilot Study on Current Practices in Visual Arts Pedagogy in Victorian Primary Schools

This article reports an attempt to conduct an online survey relating to the approaches of primary school teachers to the Visual Arts component of the Arts curriculum in the Victorian Essential Learning Standards. The survey was a pilot study investigating the persistence of classical myths and perceptions of appropriate pedagogy in the Visual Arts for primary school teachers. The survey was conducted over several months during 2007, and was largely unsuccessful, due to an extremely low frequency of response. The article frames the possible determinants of this poor response rate against the background of historical attitudes to art teaching in elementary curriculum, specific factors relevant to Victorian schools, and wider debates about the most valuable outcomes for children in primary education internationally.