Research in Visual Arts Education - The National Society for ...

ART, DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENTAL PARTICIPATION
the individualistic traditions in art education had its successor in the ideas
of postmodernism. The romantic philosophy of self-expression has, to some
extent, still influence on teacher education within art and design.
Master’s degrees since 1976
When the colleges for teacher training became university colleges in 1973,
the institutions were challenged to build up research within their professional
areas. The teacher training colleges in Oslo (HiO/EST) and Telemark
(HiT/EFL) started their Hovedfag i forming, in 1976. This M.A. degree, now
named Master i Formgiving, kunst og håndverk [Master in Art and Design
Education], is unique in the way that it requires a thesis, a piece of practical
work as well as an oral defence from the candidates. All theses are expected to
have an educational link to the topic studied. By including works of art and
design in the research, this Norwegian M.A. programme have experienced
and developed, for more than 30 years, what is now emerging as research by
design and research by art.
Since 1976 approximately 500 students have completed their theses in art
and design education. It is difficult to delineate specific trends in the selection
of topics in these M.A. theses. However, Ella Melbye has written an
overview on the topics of the M.A. theses at HiT from 1976–1999 (2003).
She divides them into five categories; 1) studies with a point of departure in
human recourses, 2) studies of interaction processes, 3) studies of composition,
4) studies of materials and craftsmanship, and 5) studies with a base in
artefacts and context.
As an effort for making the M.A. theses better disseminated, the Oslo
programme has started to publish theses for sale. By average the three best
are being selected annually by a committee. Among the published theses,
there has been a focus on discussing art in context, semiotics and the dissemination
of art (Due, 2002; Fyrileiv, 2003; Fossum, 2006; Gryte, 2005;
Johnsrud, 2005; Skregelid, 2005; Øverjordet, 2006; Gunnerød, 2006; Hansen,
2007; Haugeplass, 2007; Andreassen, 2007). Only two of the published M.A.
theses have a focus on material experimentation (Ytterstad, 2002; Thodal,
2005). Some theses have a critical analysis of curricula, both the ideological
and the formal, and discuss the cultural and contextual premises for education
in primary and secondary school (Brænne, 2002; Fauske, 2002; Øyan,
2003; Underthun, 2003; Digranes, 2006; Lefdal, 2007; Lutnæs, 2007).
Doctoral studies
In the recent twenty years, the universities have developed their doctoral programmes
with mandatory organized research education. The latter has been
based on training the doctoral students in the use of theory and methods
NORDIC VISUAL ARTS EDUCATION IN TRANSITION 131