Narrative Learning as Theory and Method in Arts and Museum Education

Abstract

Narrative is a necessary element in our lives; we use the tools, techniques, and characteristics of narrative to organize and understand the happenings of life. Artmaking operates within a larger process of knowledge creation. I investigated how preschool children construct knowledge through narrative; I then examined the knowledge constructed as contributing to an overall, encompassing narrative as well as to evolving individual narrative knowledge. To investigate this topic, I conducted a case study at an international Reggio Emilia–inspired, bilingual preschool in central Stockholm. To study their construction of narrative, I observed the children’s interactions and conversations before, during, and after museum visits and studied the artworks that they created before and after museum visits. With this method, it is possible to understand more clearly how children build knowledge over time in the arts classroom and beyond.

Notes

¹ The names of the participants have been changed. Three of the participants were male and five of the participants were female. The nationalities of the students was mixed: one American/Swedish, two Polish, one Indian, two Spanish, one Estonian, and one Swedish. The socioeconomic classes were also mixed, although all of the students lived in Stockholm and mostly traveled to the school either on foot or by public transportation.

² Although all of the Swedish museum names were used throughout the study period in conversation with the children, the international English names will be used henceforth for clarity. The Vasa Museum is a museum dedicated to a 17th-century Swedish ship named the Vasa, hence the lack of English title.

³ Participant observers act as the primary data collection tools in “a process of describing, analyzing, and interpreting an everyday activity to understand it more fully” (Stokrocki, 1997, p. 37), and may play a role as complete participant, complete observer, or a combination of the two, as is the case with this research.

⁴ Lego Chima is a line of Lego toys that is popular among the children throughout the study period, especially with Adam and Aleksy.