Comparación de la secuencia de nucleótidos de los genomas

Papandreou (2014, pp. 97 and 98) proposes that ‘[F]or drawing activity to fulfil its potential […] children’s drawing activity in classrooms as a means of communication and a way of thinking, need to become new research subjects’. This thesis provides a new research endeavour into children’s drawings, and gains the inspiration to develop and utilise a new framework for understanding children’s drawings from the literature expounded in this chapter. It intends to explore how encouraging children to draw can create a deeper understanding of their learning, and how investigating drawings can be applied in teaching and learning. The research discussed in this Chapter 2, has illuminated historical use of children’s

drawings, which is still relevant today. For example, the work of Luquet, (1927/2001) who proposed an understanding that children often do not attempt to reflect their perceived

reality in their drawings, rather they often use drawings to communicate different ideas (for example, Arnheim, 1954; Cox, 1992). Furthermore, historically children’s drawings have been utilised as tests for intelligence and stages of development, particularly by developmental psychologists who analysed drawings without the child being present, for example the Draw-a-Man Test, Harris, (1963). This contrasts with authors who have emphasised the significance of social and cultural issues in children’s drawings, especially as tools for communication. This is highlighted by considering drawings from the

perspective of art therapists (for instance Malchiodi, 1998) who emphasise the importance of taking the phenomenological stance of ‘not knowing’ and including conversation with children about their drawings in order to understand their lived experience more fully. The content of children’s drawings has also been explored from the perspective of gender and research into the portrayal of colour, emotion and movement in the drawings of girls and boys has been found to be different (as illustrated by, Karniol, 2011; Matthews, 1997; Papandreou, 2014). There is a paucity of research into primary school children learning a second language at school, which this thesis aims to address, the literature discussed so far includes the pedagogical practice of children teaching each other a second language (for example, Aslan 2015). The lack of a succinct framework for analysing children's drawings has been highlighted by a number or authors, (for instance, Anning & Ring, 2004; Soundy, 2012; Thomas & Silk, 1990). This produced, as noted by Sparkes, (2003, p. 87), ‘multiple, subjective realities […] in the form of mental constructions’. Rose’s (1996) model for visual analysis has been outlined as the inspiration for the basis of a new framework for analysis developed for this thesis. The aims of the thesis are encapsulated in the research questions which distill some of the issues raised from the literature review after identifying areas

that would benefit from further scrutiny. The three research questions for this thesis which arose from this review of the literature are as follows:

• Research Question 1: How can a framework inspired by Rose’s (2001) method of Visual Analysis deepen our understanding of the drawings produced by children? There is a myriad of different methods of interpretation of children’s drawings, and Rose’s (2001)

method provides an approach that is suitably comprehensive and flexible for adapting for use in this thesis. In addition, the foci of producer, audience and text have been identified as important to consider when studying children’s drawings, coupled with the social, aesthetic and technological lenses can help to provide the richness of analysis required for a deeper understanding of the drawings.

• Research Question 2: What is revealed, through drawing and conversation when two classes of 6-7 year old children are invited to reflect on their own learning of Spanish? The literature demonstrates clear support for using drawing to enhance the communication between children and adults in the classroom and as a helpful tool, which furthermore, has the ability to generate rich data to increase an understanding of children’s reflections.

• Research Question 3: How might these new insights be applied to support teaching and learning? This review of the literature substantiates the concepts of encouraging teacher-researcher reflection of insights gained from close listening, close reading and conversation with children drawing in the classroom.

In sum, the aims of this research to develop a framework, apply it to children drawing themselves learning Spanish and reflect on its applicability to classroom practice is

compelling particularly as currently there is no research which considers children reflecting on their learning of Spanish. Furthermore, there is a particularly pressing need, as primary school children are obliged to learn a second language, and to date research has focussed on the implementation, rather than children’s experience, of MFL (modern foreign languages) as an aspect of the national curriculum. The development of a new framework to use with children in the classroom, which provides a helpful

resource for the interpretation of children’s drawings, is a worthwhile endeavour. ‘Successful interpretation depends on a passionate engagement with what you see. Use your methodology to discipline your passion, not to deaden it’. Rose (2001, p. 4). The next chapter outlines how the methodology for this thesis was developed and utilised.