Self directed learning of ten women painters
Date
1985
Authors
Avril, Shirley Ann
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Abstract
This a is a study based on the theories of change in adults. The theories cited are: paradigm shift, perspective transformation, personal constructs and intentional change. The subject of the study is self directed learning as evidenced in the lives of ten women painters. Some consideration is given to definitions of creativity and social context.
The purpose of the study was to discover methods of learning that might be useful to women working to develop their creative potential in the visual arts. The research style is naturalistic and qualitative. Data were gathered by open-ended interview and observation. The original interviews were taped, then transcribed and analysed. The data were organized under the following headings: influential people, developing vision, and problem solving.
The findings in the problem solving section were further subdivided into : creative blocks, marketing and skill development. The findings in the skill development section were divided into exploring and experimenting.
The conclusions to be drawn from the experience of these particular women painters are that learning, for them, was integrated into the lifestyle and that it was , primarily, experimenting with solutions to identifiable problems and exploring uncharted avenues for creative expression. The learning was structured by the evolution of experience and the intrinsic interest of the learners. Each woman initiated her own process and was completely responsible for the directions taken by her learning. In this way the findings paralleled those in the self directed learning literature. The self reflective learning leading to change followed the patterns found in the literature on adult change theory.