Visual Art: A Qualitative Study

Artists have long been using mathematics in their work. Some mathematicians such as Leonardo Da Vinci and M.C Escher have become artists while pursuing their mathematics. Mathematics has directly influenced their art with conceptual tools such as linear perspective and the analysis of symmetry. In this study we will look at the contribution of mathematics in doing visual arts. When linking mathematics with visual arts, students somehow bring feeling and emotions to their work. They are learning through the affective domain by responding to the mathematical concepts they have learned, values it in their drawing and organize their prior knowledge of mathematics to modify their work and categories themselves as artists. In formal classroom teaching,

My research paradigm and methods

The research will be carried out using the qualitative research design that allowed the researcher to obtain a deeper understanding of the research situation. In this case, the researcher studied the participants’ application of mathematical concepts in visual arts. A qualitative research is chosen in order to understand how far mathematical concepts engage in the student affective domain of learning in which the researcher can ask a variety of questions (will not be limited to particular questions).

In terms of sampling, around twenty students and two educators will participate in the study. The sample will be selected in a state school, all sc students (form IV and V). Choosing students from the same level allowed the researcher to maintain consistency in terms of their age, maturity and level of understanding. Also, the researcher will able to concentrate on a specific number of participants .This is known as quota sampling (Sharma, 2012). Tsimboukidou (2010) suggests that researchers are required to develop a bond with the participants of the study in order to obtain a deeper understanding and win their trust. The respondents will be reminded to provide honest answers in the study. As this research required the observation method in collecting data, the researchers will ask permission to take pictures of some of the art work of the students (issue of

The researcher will ask permission (issue of ethnics) to observe one or two visual art lesson in which the teacher will teach a particular art topic where she is using few elements of mathematics in art.

The researcher will design two questionnaires; one for students and another for the educators. The students’ questionnaire consisted of short open ended questions inquiring their application of mathematical concept in their drawings. The educators’ questionnaire included open-ended questions which allowed the researcher to understand the educators’ perceptions on mathematical concepts in visual art.

The researcher will use the triangulation method which supports multiple methods of data collection. In this case, the method consisted of informal interviews, classroom observation and questionnaires. The questionnaires will be handed out after that the researcher has observed a lesson and ask few informal questions. Merriam’s (1998, cited in Tsimboukidou, 2010:117) descriptions on qualitative research’s characteristics were adopted in this study where ‘firstly, the study attempted to understand the situation from both the participants’ and teachers’ perspectives and secondly, the researchers took on the role of the research instrument to sensitively collect and analyse the