Torrance Journal for Applied Creativity

Literature Review
Within the broader field of creativity
research, this article draws from
three particular literature strands: (1)
the arts-based methodology of self-portraiture,
(2) the spontaneous drawing
also known as doodling, and (3) artsbased
educational research (ABER).
Self-Portraiture
In a typical self-portrait, a
student draws or paints an image of his
or her own face and/or body. From an
instructional perspective of traditional
self-portraiture, the student focuses on
which design elements (color, shape,
line, form) and principles of art (harmony,
balance, pattern) are used in his
or her self-portrait (e.g. McCutcheon,
2012). However, some self-portraits
go beyond a more traditional, formalist
approach and accentuate the psychological
attributes, social characteristics,
and cultural aspects that the student
desires to communicate about him or
herself (see Grushka, 2008; Sullivan,
2005; Ward, 2010). Taken together, the
visual symbols depicting the physical
features of the self, combined with the
psycho-social-cultural aspects, constitute
an aesthetic representation known as
self-portraiture.
Doodling
Doodling, or spontaneous
drawing, suggests specific brain involvement
medical researchers call the
intrinsic default network, “an anatomically
defined network [which] includes
the medial temporal lobe and medial
prefrontal subsystems and posterior cingulate
cortex” (Schott, 2011). Contemporary
medical researchers cite influence
by the seminal work of Maclay, Guttman,
and Mayer-Gross (1938) who
studied 9000 doodles submitted by the
public in response to a newspaper competition.
Andrade (2009) conducted an
experimental test of the degree to which
doodling aids concentration. Findings
suggest compelling hypotheses of the
mechanism that enables doodling to aid
concentration including, “stabiliz[ing]
arousal at an optimal level, keeping people
awake…[during periods of] boredom…[and]
reducing daydreaming, in
situations where daydreaming might
be more detrimental to performance
than doodling itself” (Andrade, 2009,
p. 103). Recently, an international
conference entitled “Thinking through
Drawing 2012: Drawing in STEAM”
was held at the Wimbledon College
of Art in the United Kingdom. This
conference focused on how drawing
was used within and between STEM
(science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics) topics. Four attending
artists responded to the presentations
and discussion by drawing extensively;
these illustrations and comments were
captured in the conference proceedings
(Brew, Fava, & Kantrowitz, 2012).
Arts-Based Educational Research
Arts-based educational research
(ABER) has emerged and matured
considerably over the past 15 years (Piantanida,
McMahon & Garman, 2003).
And yet, ABER still resides in the
margins of dominant research methodologies
because ABER researchers often
question identity formation and social
norms (Denzin, 2000; Slattery, 2003),
thus giving primacy to inquiry over
knowledge formation (Bochner & Ellis,
2003). The commonality among researchers
using visual arts-based research
methods centers is the use of the visual
arts to provoke deep critical and creative
thinking in students and in themselves.
This kind of thinking resonates with
models of critical pedagogy in PK-12 art
education (Hamblen, 1988) and art as a
form of expression grounded in an “aesthetic
of color” and critical race theory
(Denzin, 2000).
Research Design
Research Case Studies:
Setting and Data Sources
Case # 1: Drawing while
talking. This case originated from a
mathematics-based digital learning
study (Katz-Buonincontro & Foster,
2011) conducted in an urban high
school classroom in a large East Coast
city. The study included 12 female
and 9 male students (14 to 15 years of
age) who self-identified as follows: 16
African American, 1 White, 2 Latino, 1
Asian, and 1 student who self-described
as “Other.” While playing a mathematics-based
digital game, the students
noted with dislike that the digital
game provided avatars with Anglicized
features such as white skin and straight
hair. In response, the second author
sought to create a more engaging classroom
setting by designing an art activity
that enabled students to explore their
beliefs about their identity and academic
goals. For this activity, the author
gave students Crayola (2011) “multicultural”
markers with an “ethnic-sensitive
color palette” and 18” x 24” white
drawing-grade paper. Both the author
and the participating students drew
self-portraits as avatars with designated
academic “powers” (see Figure 1).
Case # 2: Drawing while listening
and thinking. This case is based
on phenomenological interviews conducted
with an art teacher who served as
a key reform leader at a public elementary
school. The school, in a large
Southwestern city, was participating in
the regional implementation of a major
national reform initiative (Reyes & Phillips,
2002). To explore a conjecture that
having an arts background influenced
Lindsey Kourafas
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