Journal Evaluation in Education (JEE) Vol.
No.
October 2023, pp.
ISSN: 2716-4160.
DOI: 10.
37251/jee.
Comparative Study of UCC and UEW B.
Ed JHS Visual Art Options as Initial Teacher Preparation for the New Creative Arts and Design Curriculum for JHS Hamza Alhassan1.
Bawa Al-Hassan2.
Mavis Osei3 1,3Department of Pre-vocational Skills.
Tamale College of Education.
Tamale.
Ghana 2Department of Graphic Design Communication Technology.
Tamale Technical University.
Tamale.
Ghana 3Department of Educational Innovations in Science and Technology.
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
Kumasi.
Ghana
Article Info
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study, therefore, is to compare the developed JHS visual art curricula of the two universities (UCC and UEW) as being implemented in the colleges of education, vis-a-vis the new JHS Creative Arts and Design curriculum to find out which of the curricula covers all aspects of Creative Arts and Design in JHS.
Received Jul 12, 2023 Revised Aug 25, 2023 Accepted Sep 21, 2023 OnlineFirst Oct 19, 2023 Keywords:
Curriculum Creative Arts and Design Initial Teacher Preparation Visual Art Education Methodology: The study adopted a qualitative research approach using document analysis and autoethnography as data collection instruments.
Main Findings: The study found that whereas UCC offers a combined major of visual art.
UEW offers visual art as a standalone programme but both models of visual art education do not meet the full complement of the Creative Arts and Design subject in the JHS because the performing art aspect is not catered for in both models.
Novelty/Originality of this study: The study recommends that both curricula should be reviewed to factor in the performing art aspect of the JHS Creative Arts and Design subject to enable them to train teachers who are fit for This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license Corresponding Author:
Hamza Alhassan.
Department of Pre-vocational Skills.
Tamale College of Education.
Tamale.
Ghana Box E/R 1.
Tamale.
Ghana Email: ahamza@tace.
INTRODUCTION
Ghana has begun educational reforms in a bid to offer quality education and 21st-century skills to its citizens, especially children, and the youth.
Considering that basic and teacher education have begun implementing new standards-based curricula that sought to meet the demands of GhanaAos vision of producing innovative and developmentally oriented youth.
The new standard-based curriculum for kindergarten to primary six which was developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) was implemented in 2020, thereby scrapping the old curriculum completely.
However, the new JHS curriculum (Common Core Programm.
by NaCCA kickstarted in January 2022 piecemeal.
That is, only JHS one .
began offering the new curriculum while continuing students continue to study the old curriculum, unlike in the primary school where the new curriculum was implemented fully and the old one scrapped.
It is crucial to note that NaCCA developed the Primary and JHS curricula by using the National Pre-tertiary Education Curriculum Framework (NPECF), a Ministry of Education document for developing subject curricula for pre-tertiary education .
Journal homepage: http://cahaya-ic.
com/index.
php/JEE A ISSN: 2716-4160 Creative arts encompass a diverse array of artistic disciplines that celebrate human creativity, imagination, and expression.
This broad category includes visual arts .
ainting, drawing, sculptur.
, performing arts .
usic, dance, theate.
, literary arts .
oetry, pros.
, multimedia arts, and more.
The essence of creative arts lies in the ability to communicate thoughts, emotions, and experiences through various forms and mediums .
Teaching creative arts is about inspiring and empowering students to discover their unique creative voices and appreciate the beauty and diversity of artistic expression.
It's a journey of discovery and growth for both educators and learners alike.
Teaching creative arts holds immense importance in the overall education and development of individuals, encompassing cognitive, emotional, social, and cultural dimensions.
Incorporating creative arts into education is not only about nurturing artistic talent but also about nurturing well-rounded individuals capable of critical thinking, emotional expression, and appreciation for the beauty and diversity of human creativity .
The inventive direction or control of dramatic, audio, visual, and spatial components is referred to as creative arts .
They can be started to convey thoughts and sentiments and are typically used to solve problems .
Like reading and numeracy, the creative arts have existed in all communities and have been a component of human existence from the beginning of recorded history .
The act of creating art is a natural behaviour attribute that is inherent to the human condition and can be engaged in by anyone .
Dramatic theatre, dance, music, and visual arts are all a part of a creative arts education .
Curricula that are well-rounded should include Creative arts, regardless of how it is implemented .
Numerous studies conducted in the present era have demonstrated the benefits of arts education in the classroom .
One of these advantages demonstrates how important a role the classroom culture plays in the daily lives of the kids and how creative arts can equip teachers with the means to help their preschoolers collaborate cohesively and develop a deeper understanding of the values and ideas that form the classroom community .
To be able to teach the new standard-based curriculum for basic schools effectively, there was the need to first review initial teacher education to be in tandem with the basic education curriculum.
The teacher education curriculum was reviewed by two education universities in Ghana Ae University of Cape Coast (UCC) .
and University of Education.
Winneba (UEW) .
and came out with two new models or curricula which are now being implemented in the colleges of education.
These universities developed their curricula using National Teacher Education Curriculum Framework (NTECF) and National Teacher Standards (NTS) as blueprints .
The NTECF and NTS are documents expertly prepared by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with Transforming Teaching.
Education, and Learning (T-TEL) to purposefully transform education in Ghana to cater to the nationAos developmental needs as well as meet best practices around the world.
It is important to note that the new initial teacher education stemming from NTECF and NTS emphasizes specialisms, unlike the old curriculum that was training generalist teachers for Ghanaian basic In the old curriculum, a teacher was trained to teach in any class in the basic school Ae kindergarten (KG.
to JHS3.
However, the new curriculum has three main specialisms, namely Early Childhood Education specialism which ranges from KG1 to Primary 3.
Primary Education specialism which takes care of Upper Primary- P4 Ae P6, and JHS Education specialism for JHS 1 to JHS3.
According to the NTECF.
Auspecialism pathways are the key to depth and breadth of knowledge of what is to be taught, to connecting with the developmental level of children and to consolidating content knowledgeAy .
Each of the JHS specialism curricula developed by UCC and UEW further made room for subjectspecific options which includes the art education option.
However, the visual art option has been treated differently by the two curricula.
The art education option aims at training teachers to specifically teach the JHS Creative Arts and Design curriculum.
NaCCA explains that the CAD is Auaimed at developing individuals who are literate good problem solvers, have the ability to think creatively and have both the confidence and competence to participate fully in the Ghanaian society as responsible local and global citizensAy .
The present situation calls for an examination of the efficacy and congruence of teacher preparation programs in relation to the recently implemented curricula.
This study focuses on the analysis of the art education component in the teacher education curriculum of the two tertiary institutions, namely UCC and UEW.
The primary objective is to assess the alignment between this component and the Creative Arts and Design (CAD) curriculum for Junior High School (JHS) as developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA).
The specific objectives are to.
compare UCC and UEW JHS art education components with NaCCA's JHS Creative Arts and Design curriculum.
assess curriculum coherence in effectively preparing teachers for new curriculum implementation.
determine which program comprehensively equips teachers to foster creative and problem-solving skills.
Due to the ongoing educational reforms and the phased introduction of the new curriculum, there is an immediate need to evaluate the preparedness of teacher education programs.
The urgency lies in ensuring that teachers are well-equipped to effectively deliver the new curriculum and promote the development of students' creative and problem-solving skills as envisioned by the CAD curriculum.
The study addresses the need to realign teacher education with the evolving curriculum.
It investigates how UCC and UEW have responded to this need by developing new curricula based on the National Teacher Jor.
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Education Curriculum Framework (NTECF) and National Teacher Standards (NTS).
The problem-solving strategy involves a comprehensive comparison of the art education options offered by these universities to ascertain which curriculum optimally covers all aspects of the JHS Creative Arts and Design curriculum.
This assessment seeks to identify the curriculum that best equips teachers with the knowledge and skills required for effective implementation of the new CAD curriculum.
The first crucial stage in a teacherAos professional journey is the Initial teacher education (ITE) which sets a foundation for a professional mindset and offers the student teacher a basic toolkit to ensure that meaningful learning happens in the classroom .
Initial Teacher Education provides an opportunity for the student teacher to share ideas and experiences with his colleagues and tutors in a safe and conducive Initial teacher education is a demanding task that calls for student teachers to learn while also teaching at the same time, supporting students' learning while they are supported in their own learning .
It demands analyzing, challenging, and revisiting concepts in the context of practice, which is intellectually challenging.
It touches on a person's attitudes, ideas, and emotions on the whole.
Teachers' personal qualities can serve as learning catalysts for both themselves and others in the same way that their professional knowledge and skills might .
Every student has a right to receive instruction from qualified teachers who can significantly impact their learning.
Therefore, it is essential to choose, prepare, and direct teachers during initial teacher education and subsequent phases of their employment field .
Public policy can help to create, monitor, and sustain favorable organizational structures, conditions, and opportunities for teachers by setting the correct policy objectives, putting them into practice, and evaluating the results .
If initial teacher education is supposed to train qualified teachers who can impact significantly studentsAo learning, it is important to find out, in the case of teacher education in colleges of education in Ghana, as far as art is concerned, whether the initial teacher education curriculum matches or covers the content of the basic school creative arts and design curriculum .
These further buttresses the purpose of the current study.
Before the Bachelor of Education (Basic Educatio.
reforms in 2018, from the Teachers Certificate AuAAy programme to the Diploma in Basic Education (DBE) programme that faced off in 2019, fundamentals of visual art were compulsory for all first-year students of colleges of education, except those who were specializing in Science .
The general programme students .
on-science student.
studied the fundamentals of visual art in their first year, first-semester only .
In the second year, however, students who wished to specialize in visual art continued with it.
Kansah and Kemover .
Documented that the second-year elective art courses with which a college was required to select one were.
Assemblage and Construction.
Fabric and Leather Decoration.
Modeling.
Casting and Carving.
Visual Communication, and Weaving and Stitching.
This implied that a college that opted for Assemblage and Construction would not offer any of the remaining four options.
Again, it is interesting to note that, art students offered their chosen option for only two semesters, unlike the 2018 reforms that made it possible for students to study art from first year to final year.
The sort of art education trainees offered in the colleges of education did not match that of the basic school art curriculum.
In their study, about 76% of respondents agreed that there was a mismatch between the college art curriculum and that of the basic school curriculum .
Due to the mismatch between the college art curriculum and the basic school art curriculum, the majority of trained art teachers were not able to handle every aspect of the basic school art curriculum .
The current study seeks to compare the initial art teacher education curricula of UCC and UEW to the Creative Arts and Design curriculum for JHS to find out if the trained art teachers would be able to handle all aspects of the JHS Creative Arts and Design Curriculum.
RESEARCH METHOD
The study employed document analysis and autoethnography in a qualitative study.
In qualitative studies, researchers collect data themselves by examining documents, observing behavior, or interviewing participants .
Even though they may use a protocol such as an instrument for recording data, the researchers are the ones who actually gather the information and interpret it.
Qualitative researchers typically gather multiple forms of data, such as interviews, observations, documents, and audiovisual information rather than rely on a single data source .
The purpose of gathering multiple forms of data is for triangulation in order to strengthen the reliability of the results .
Data sources for the study were document analysis and autoethnographic notes.
Document analysis is a systematic procedure for reviewing or evaluating documents both printed and electronic material .
Document analysis necessitates that data be examined and interpreted in order to elicit meaning, gain understanding, and develop empirical knowledge .
The three main documents that the study gleaned data from were the UCC Ed JHS curriculum, the UEW B.
Ed JHS curriculum, and NaCCAAos Creative Arts and Design CCP for JHS.
The data from the UCC curriculum was compiled from subject-based workshops attended by the researchers because they are visual art tutors of colleges of education who have been teaching the Bachelor of Education Comparative Study of UCC and UEW B.
Ed JHS Visual Art Options as Initial Teacher A (Hamza Alhassa.
A ISSN: 2716-4160 (JHS Visual Art optio.
since it kickstarted in 2018.
The UEW curriculum was obtained from visual art course manuals provided to researchers as visual art teachers for the second cohort of the Bachelor of Education (JHS Visual Art optio.
The Creative Arts and Design CCP for JHS was obtained from NACCAAos website.
Researchers taught both the UCC and the UEW visual art curricula and therefore have first-hand information and lived experience of both curricula.
Therefore, the document analysis was consolidated by the autoethnography of the researchers.
Autoethnography is a research method that uses personal experience to describe and interpret cultural texts, experiences, beliefs, and practices.
Autoethnography infuses personal experience with political, and cultural norms and expectations, and engages in rigorous self-reflectionAitypically referred to as AureflexivityAo .
The researchers reflect on their involvement in implementing both UCC and UEW curricula since the inception of the new teacher education reforms in 2018 to date.
The various courses comprising the Bachelor of Education JHS art education option for both UCC and UEW, from the first year (Level .
to the final year (Level .
as well as the Creative Arts and Design strands and sub-strands were juxtaposed in a tabular form that made it easy to compare, analyse and discuss the The document analysis was used primarily to compare the art courses of both UCC and UEW art components of their models to first outline the similarities and differences among them and subsequently relate both models to the JHS Creative Arts and Design curriculum.
The idea was to find out which of the models covers all aspects of the JHS curriculum.
The analysis technique used in this study involves a comprehensive comparative examination of the JHS art education components within the curricula of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and the University of Education.
Winneba (UEW), in relation to the JHS Creative Arts and Design (CAD) curriculum developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA).
In other words, the analysis technique involves a systematic comparison of curriculum components and objectives to determine the extent to which they align with the requirements of the new JHS Creative Arts and Design curriculum.
This involves a detailed assessment of the content and structure of the different curricula.
The first step of the analysis looked at curriculum review by thoroughly reviewing and understanding the content and structure of the JHS art education components in both UCC and UEW curricula, as well as the CAD curriculum by NaCCA.
The second step involved alignment assessment where we compared the identified content areas in the university curricula with the corresponding elements of the CAD curriculum.
This involved assessing how well the curricula align in terms of objectives, skills development, and thematic coverage.
The third step looked at effectiveness evaluation by assessing the degree to which the art education components in UCC and UEW curricula adequately prepare teachers to deliver the objectives outlined in the CAD curriculum.
This involves evaluating if the selected curricula provide teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills to teach creative arts effectively.
The fourth step did a comparative analysis by comparing the strengths and weaknesses of each curriculum in terms of their alignment with the CAD curriculum, ability to foster creativity and problem-solving, and overall preparation of teachers.
Autoethnographic data in the form of descriptive narratives were used to consolidate the document analysis as a means of triangulation.
Finally, based on the analysis, we offered recommendations for potential improvements in the teacher education programs and curricula adjustments to better align with the goals of the CAD curriculum.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The results from the secondary data relied on are presented in Table 1.
UCC (MAJOR VISUAL
ART) MINOR
Year 1.
Semester 1 Basic Design Year 1.
Semester 2 Introduction to Visual Communication Computer Graphics I (CorelDra.
Creativity and Perception Table 1.
Results from secondary data
UEW (NO MINOR)
JHS CREATIVE ARTS AND DESIGN
B7 Ae B9 Year 1.
Semester 1 Foundations of Social Strand: Design Studies and Technical Sub-strand: Design in nature and the Vocational Education manmade environment A Concept.
Elements and Principles of Design and Training (TVET) Year 1.
Semester 2 Intersection of Physical Activity.
Sport.
Music and Dance Jor.
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Year 2.
Semester 1 Computer Graphics II (Photosho.
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UEW (NO MINOR)
JHS CREATIVE ARTS AND DESIGN
B7 Ae B9 Year 2.
Semester 1 History Philosophical Foundation of Visual Arts Concepts Foundational Skills in Drawing Introduction to 2Dimensional Art Introduction to 3Dimensional Art Year 2.
Semester 2 Year 2.
Semester 2 Curriculum Studies in Visual Art Introduction to Picture Makings Applied Visual Communication Concept Idea Development (Ideatio.
Composition Creative Expressions Figure and Perspective Drawing Curriculum Studies in Visual Arts Year 3.
Semester 1 Year 3.
Semester 1 Principles and Methods of Teaching Visual Arts Aesthetics.
Appreciation and Criticism Modelling Casting and Carving Professional Ethics and the Visual Arts Practice Introduction Sculpture .
pted 3-D) Introduction Graphic Design .
pted 2-D) Methods of Teaching Visual Arts Year 3.
Semester 2 Introduction to Textile Design Year 3.
Semester 2 Assessment Techniques in Visual Arts Studio Practice in 2Dimensional Art (Graphic Design Year 4.
Semester 1 Used for Teaching Practice Year 4.
Semester 1 Used Teaching Practice Year 4.
Semester 2 Year 4.
Semester 2 Sub-strand: Creativity, innovation and the design process A the design process and models of its application in problem solving in various Strand: Creative Arts Sub-strand: Media and Techniques Visual Arts B7 - Visual Arts media and techniques and their application in still-life drawing, pattern making and modelling.
B8 - Drawing from direct observation/ memory and imagination, print making and B9 - Casting, assemblage and folding.
Music B7- application of scale, note durational values and simple time beat patterns in music.
B8 Ae application of tempo, dynamics and simple forms in music.
B9 - application of triads, chord progression and improvisation in music.
Dance and Drama B7 - Application of media, voice and movement techniques in dance and drama.
B8 - Ghanaian dance forms.
B9 Ae Application of Dance Drama Creative and Aesthetic Expression Substrand Visual Art B7 - Application of the design process .
dea developmen.
to produce, display and appraise own creative artworks B8 Ae Application of the design process .
dea developmen.
to produce and display own creative and expressive art-forms.
B9 Ae Exhibition of art works produced from competencies and skills acquired from the application of the philosophies, designs and Music B7 Ae Application of the design process .
dea developmen.
to create and display own creative musical artworks B8 Ae Application of the design process .
dea developmen.
to create and display own creative musical artworks B9 - Exhibit competencies in the application of the design process to produce and display own creative musical works Dance and Drama B7 - the ability to use concepts of design Comparative Study of UCC and UEW B.
Ed JHS Visual Art Options as Initial Teacher A (Hamza Alhassa.
A UCC (MAJOR VISUAL
ART) MINOR
Studio Practice Visual Art Project Work in Visual Art Art Courses UEW (NO MINOR) Studio Practice in Sculpture .
-D opte.
Developing Enterprise Skills in Visual Arts
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JHS CREATIVE ARTS AND DESIGN
B7 Ae B9 process .
dea developmen.
to produce and display own creative and expressive art-forms that reflect in the range of different times and cultures in dance and drama.
B8 Ae Application of design process (Idea developmen.
to produce and display own creative and expressive art-forms B9 - Producing a Dance Drama by exhibiting competencies in the application of design process and skills to produce and display own creative artworks Sub-strand: Connections in Local and Global Cultures Visual Art B7 - Generating ideas from visual artworks in the community B8 - Generating ideas from creative artworks of visual artists.
B9 - Generating ideas from creative artworks of African artists Music B7 - Generating ideas from indigenous creative musical forms and art musicians in the immediate community B8 - Generating ideas from indigenous creative musical forms and Ghanaian art B9 - Generating ideas from indigenous creative musical forms of African composers.
Dance and Drama B7 - Generating ideas from creative artworks of dancers and actors in the community B8 Ae Generating ideas from creative artworks of Ghanaian dance and drama artistes B9 Ae Generating ideas from African dance and drama artiste The UCC model as can be seen from the table is such that an art student must choose a minor programme in addition to the art.
The total number of courses in the visual art major is 16.
In addition, students would offer courses in their minor areas.
The UCC model contain courses on at least five branches of art.
Introduction to Visual Communication.
Computer Graphics I.
Computer Graphics II, and Applied Visual Communication which constitute Graphic Design.
Modeling.
Casting and Carving, and Assemblage and Construction which constitute Sculpture.
Textiles.
Picture Making and Leatherwork.
The UEW model of visual art does not have a minor so a student teacher offers only visual art courses.
Again, the student further chooses two branches of art to specialize in, one 2-D art and one 3-D art.
In the case of Bagabaga College of Education, students opted for Graphic Design and Sculpture.
The total number of visual art courses run by UEW in the eight-semester programme is 19 courses.
In the first year, second semester, the UEW model has a single course on Performing arts which is part of the foundation courses for all first-year students.
The Creative Arts and Design, on the other hand, comprises Design and Creative Arts strands.
Both strands have three sub-strands each.
Each sub-strand under the Creative Arts strand has visual art .
o specificatio.
, music, dance, and drama components.
Music, dance, and drama form the performing arts of the Creative Arts curriculum.
Neither the UCC curriculum nor the UEW curriculum has included performing arts courses to cater to the performing arts in the Creative Arts and Design curriculum for JHS.
Under the UCC curriculum of BEd JHS (Visual Art optio.
, a student was at liberty to choose any other BEd JHS option being run in the studentAos college as a minor programme.
Based on autoethnography, art students of Bagabaga College of Education, numbering 37, had ICT.
Technical.
Mathematics, and Science as their various minor programmes.
Interestingly, none of the students chose Performing Arts as their minor The purpose of offering a minor programme was to enable a student teacher to teach, in addition to Jor.
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Creative Arts and Design, the corresponding subject in the JHS when the student completes it.
For instance, a visual art student who offers ICT as a minor programme, should be able to teach ICT as a subject in JHS aside from Creative Arts and Design they are trained to teach in JHS.
Under this dispensation, the student offers courses under the minor programme from the first year to the final year.
A sample registered courses of a Visual Art/ICT student from first year to final year, as listed in their statement of results is attached as an appendix.
For ease of reference, the Visual Art courses have been highlighted.
Objective 1: Comparing UCC and UEW JHS Art Education Components with NaCCA's JHS Creative Arts and Design Curriculum The study's first objective aimed to scrutinize and contrast the art education components within the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and the University of Education.
Winneba (UEW) curricula against the Junior High School (JHS) Creative Arts and Design curriculum outlined by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA).
The findings highlighted substantial discrepancies between the curricula offered by these universities and the national curriculum guidelines.
It was revealed that both UCC and UEW curricula fell short of comprehensively covering all aspects of the NaCCA's JHS Creative Arts and Design curriculum.
The absence of performing arts courses was especially notable in both institutions, underscoring a significant gap in preparing future teachers to impart this crucial component of Creative Arts and Design education.
Furthermore, the differences in the number of visual art branches covered by UCC and UEW pointed to varying degrees of inadequacy in aligning with the national The findings of this study align with the research by .
, who also identified a mismatch between art education provided in colleges and the basic school art curriculum.
Kassah and Kemevor's findings underscore the continuity of the issue, as the UCC and UEW curricula fail to cover all aspects of the NaCCA JHS Creative Arts and Design curriculum, particularly in performing arts .
Objective 2: Assessing Curriculum Coherence in Effectively Preparing Teachers for New Curriculum Implementation The study's second objective aimed to evaluate the coherence between the UCC and UEW curricula and their effectiveness in preparing teachers for the implementation of the new NaCCA JHS Creative Arts and Design curriculum.
The findings indicated that both institutions' curricula exhibited a lack of coherence with the updated curriculum requirements.
This lack of alignment raises concerns about the preparedness of graduates to effectively teach the revised curriculum in schools.
The discrepancies between the universities' offerings and the new curriculum suggest that future teachers may face challenges in delivering the curriculum content in a holistic and comprehensive manner.
The absence of performing arts courses and the limitations in visual art branches further cast doubt on the teachers' ability to cater to the diverse learning needs of students as envisaged by the new curriculum.
The lack of coherence between the UCC and UEW curricula and the new NaCCA curriculum is consistent with recent publications in the literature that have emphasized the importance of curriculum alignment to ensure effective implementation .
The discrepancies found in this study suggest that the teacher education programs at UCC and UEW may not adequately prepare graduates for the demands of the updated curriculum, echoing concerns raised by previous publications .
Objective 3: Determining Which Program Comprehensively Equips Teachers to Foster Creative and Problem-Solving Skills The third objective of the study was to identify whether either of the two programsAiUCC or UEWAi adequately equips teachers to nurture creative and problem-solving skills in students.
The findings revealed that neither program fully met this criterion.
The absence of performing arts education and the limitations within visual art training indicated a deficiency in both institutions' ability to foster well-rounded creative and problemsolving abilities in students.
The study emphasized that creative and problem-solving skills are essential for students' holistic development and readiness for the challenges of the modern world .
The inadequacies in the teacher education programs at both UCC and UEW raise questions about the graduates' capacity to nurture these critical skills among their future students.
The findings underscored the importance of a comprehensive curriculum that encompasses various aspects of Creative Arts and Design to better cultivate these skills.
The findings of this study corroborate the research conducted by .
which emphasized the necessity of a comprehensive approach to art education to foster creative and problem-solving skills in students.
The inadequacies identified in both UCC and UEW programs in this study align with the European CommissionAos observations, indicating that neither curriculum fully equips teachers to cultivate these essential skills .
Comparative Study of UCC and UEW B.
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CONCLUSION
The study sought to compare the developed JHS visual art curricula of two universities (UCC and UEW) as being implemented in the colleges of education, vis-a-vis the new JHS Creative Arts and Design curriculum to find out which of the curricula covers all aspects of Creative Arts and Design in JHS.
The study adopted a qualitative research approach using document analysis and autoethnography as data collection The study found that whereas UCC offers a combined major of visual art.
UEW offers visual art as a standalone programme but both models of visual art education do not meet the full complement of the Creative Arts and Design subject in the JHS because the performing art aspect is not catered for in both models.
The study recommends that both curricula should be reviewed to factor in the performing art aspect of the JHS Creative Arts and Design subject to enable them to train teachers who are fit for purpose.
The UCC model which comprises a minor programme in any other programme offered in a given college should rather make performing arts a compulsory minor to cater to the performing art component in the JHS Creative Arts and Design.
The study can conclude that the purpose of the specialism pathway in initial teacher preparation with regard to art
education envisaged by the NTECF would not be achieved in the current state of the UCC and UEW visual art
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all individuals whose unwavering support and valuable contributions have greatly enriched the depth and scope of our research endeavors.
REFERENCES