In this study, I raise two research questions as follows, and investigate the
cognitive aspects of contemporary art through a qualitative method:
1. Before taking the course of the contemporary art, how much do the
pre-service elementary teachers comprehend the phenomena of contemporary art? I
saw their ignorance on the contemporary art, the lack of its education in school,
the lack of pre-service teachers' awareness of the absence of cultural activities but
I saw their potential curiosity of the contemporary art.
2. After taking the course, how do their cognitive aspects of the contemporary
art manifest themselves? I found the complex cognitive aspects: the acceptances or
hesitations of the contemporary art, the development of cognitive flexibility and
artistic thinking, the reflection on Art and Art Education, the self-reflection and so
on.
Through the approach to the contemporary art phenomena, the pre-service
elementary teachers could improve the comprehensions on the artistic creation,
develop their competence to critique and research, open their mind and gain
tolerance for diversity. In addition, they showed higher sensibility and self-efficacy
toward Art Education. Therefore, this study suggests the importance of the
comprehensions on the contemporary art in the pre-service teachers' training course.