The Factors that Influence Primary Teachers’ Pedagogy in Visual Arts Education in Ireland

Abstract

This small-scale study explores the factors that influence teachers' Visual Arts pedagogy in the Irish primary school setting. A mixed methods sequential explanatory design was adopted, and the data was gathered through questionnaires. This was followed by semi-structured interviews with seven primary school teachers who had experience teaching across a variety of classes and in different primary schools in Ireland. Following the data collection process, the data were analysed and the subsequent findings reported that there were a variety of factors that influenced pedagogy among primary teachers. The data revealed three main themes: the pressures teachers perceived themselves to be under, the importance they placed on Visual Arts in their own pedagogy, and their personal experiences with Visual Arts education in the past, as both student and teacher. This study aims to provide an opportunity for generalist teachers to share how they interact with the Visual Arts Curriculum and discuss whether there are any factors that impact their pedagogical practice.