The Effect of Sketching Instruction on Student Motivation in College Graphic Design Students

Research Focus I am a college graphic design instructor. Many of my students do not complete required thumbnail sketches in preparation for design projects. This may be a motivational issue or a skills deficit.

Research Focus (cont.) Important to determine what motivates college level art/design students. Goal is increased participation in sketching/homework completion.

Literature Review Understanding Motivation Intrinsic – personally rewarding Extrinsic – gain rewards or avoid punishment Non-traditional students more intrinsically driven, traditional more extrinsically driven (Bye, Pushkar, & Conway, 2007).

Literature Review (cont.) Tasks need to feel relevant. Strong connection between motivation and career development. Art students more driven by intrinsic reward. Perceived support from teachers motivates students.

Research Questions Primary research question will focus on determining if formal sketching instruction helps motivate the students. Secondary research question seeks to find how much training students are getting from high school art classes.

Participants Approximately sophomore level graphic design students enrolled in Graphic Design I. Collaboration Input from two fine arts instructors on suggested sketching techniques.

Data Collection Plan Sketching “pre-test” & interviews to determine students’ current baseline. Formal “thumbnail” sketch instruction & work- along followed by self-evaluations. Formal “rough” sketch instruction & work- along followed by self-evaluations.

Data Collection Plan (cont.) Observations and notes taken during in class work time. Students will turn in all completed final sketches for review using a grading rubric.

Plan for Increasing Validity Recording an accurate description of the environment and setting of the study. Using triangulation in data collecting (notes, interviews, surveys, artifacts). Accurate data recording. Seeking feedback from peers.

Projected Results & Conclusion Increases in students motivation, equating to better homework completion. Motivation is key to the success of any student, and knowing how to properly motivate students is crucial – for example, connecting it to potential career success and using intrinsic rewards.