Influence of Disability, Gender, and Time Engaged on the Developmental Level of Children's Art Work: Findings from Three Years of Observation

• Published in: Journal of early intervention Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. 141 - 153
• Main Authors: Hanline, Mary Frances, Milton, Sande, Phelps, Pamela C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA Sage Publications 2007; Division for Early Childhood, Council for Exceptional Children; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Art Expression; Art Products; Child Development; Childrens Art; Cognitive Development; Cognitive Structures; Conceptual Tempo; Developmental Disabilities; Developmentally Appropriate Practices; Ethnography; Gender Differences; Performance Factors; Preschool Children; Preschool Education; Young Children
• ISSN: 1053-8151; 2154-3992
• DOI: 10.1177/105381510702900206

The purpose of this study was to assess the developmental progression of preschoolers' abilities to draw and paint. Over 3 years, 68 children were observed easel painting 595 times and 65 children were observed drawing 545 times. Results of hierarchical linear modeling indicated that (a) the complexity of children's drawings and paintings increased with chronological age, (b) children wit, disabilities progressed at a slower rate than children without disabilities, (c) gender did not influence the complexity of the art products, and (d) time engaged had a positive effect on the complexity of the art product. Implications of findings are discussed in relation to the assessment of representational abilities and instructional environments.