Art learning in the home: a survey of households in Austin, Texas

The purpose of this study was to determine how much art activity is taking place within households in Austin, Texas. By way of a questionnaire, the parents or guardians of children attending schools within the Austin Independent School District were surveyed regarding art activity within their homes. The objective of this investigation was to provide answers to questions such as: In what ways do children participate in art making within the context of the family household? To what extent does it appear a parent’s/guardian’s level of schooling, number of children in the family, and amount of electronic entertainment available to the child correspond with the amount of art activity that takes place in the household? Professional and personal motivations led to this investigation. There is an ever increasing amount of electronic entertainment available to children. Has this recent growth of technology had an effect on the amount of time children spend with art activities in the home? Through my own experiences growing up, and through conversations with others, it was brought to my attention that the number of children residing in a household might have an effect on the amount of art activities taking place within the home, as well as the parent’s or guardian’s level of education. Through the data collected by this investigation, I was able to reach a conclusion regarding the relationship found between the amount of art activities taking place in the households surveyed and the three variables studied in this investigation: (a) the parent’s education, (b) the amount of electronic entertainment available to the children in the home, (c) the number of children residing in the home. Support from the data indicated a significant pattern representing that the parent’s/guardian’s education is related to the amount of art activity taking place within the household. However, there was no pattern found regarding the variable of electronic entertainment devices found in a home and the amount of art making within that home. There was also a significant relationship found regarding the numbers of children residing in the household, and the amount of art activity those children are engaged in. The data collected indicated that a household in which fewer children reside is more likely to participate in more art activities.