Let's Draw: Utilizing Interactive White Board to Support Kindergarten Children's Visual Art Learning Practice

Abstract

Compared to other academic disciplines, interactive white board (IWB) research in early childhood education is still in its infancy. To add more knowledge base regarding the instructional effectiveness of IWB for young children, this study aimed to investigate educational phenomenon of using an IWB to teach visual art to kindergarten students. The study adopted a qualitative case study to fulfill the research purpose. The research participants were 25 children aged 5 to 6 years old from a public kindergarten in Taiwan. The qualitative study lasted for four months of one semester. Multiple qualitative data sources were collected from students, teachers, and parents. A qualitative analysis method identified seven major themes. The results indicate that the IWB is an effective learning tool for enhancing students’ learning interest and motivation during visual art instruction. The IWB may facilitate discussion about learning process, resulting in more diverse elements in children’s paper-based drawings. Schoolteachers and parents both witnessed the positive effect of IWB use on children’s drawing instruction. In particular, IWB integration strongly supports students with special learning needs. Based on IWB implementation experiences, several instructional implications for early childhood educators who are interested in IWB adoption in classrooms are proposed.