Spatial perception experiences and relationships of middle school students in art education in Turkey

Abstract

This study focuses on students' spatial relationships within the context of place-based education. The research was designed as a holistic single-case design and was conducted with 15 students aged 10-11, who were studying in the 5th grade at a middle school in Eskisehir, Turkey. Criterion sampling, one of the purposive sampling methods, was used to determine the study group. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, worksheets, student'diaries, and the artistic works of the students, that were analyzed inductively. The findings indicate that through creative thinking, the students were able to create sociocultural meanings by considering everyday living spaces, and that they were able to convey their sensual perceptions of the objects and the objects' properties in a certain space in their artwork.