The Quality of Design in 9th Grade Pupils’ Design-and-Make Assignments in Craft Education

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to analyse the performance of grade 9 pupils (15-16 years old) on a design-and-make assignment, which was a part of the assessment of learning outcomes conducted by the Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE) in crafts. A sample of the students’ work on the assignments (N= 169) was analysed from the viewpoint of visualization and operationalisation of the design ideas. Further, the functional and aesthetic aspects of end products were evaluated. The method of qualitative and quantitative data analysis of the pupils’ design-and-make assignment is explicated in detail. The results showed that pupils had difficulties designing on paper; they executed only very basic line-work for the designed products, and only some details were illuminated in their visual representations. The poor quality of visual and technical designing revealed that the objectives of the National Core Curriculum in craft education have not yet been attained. Further, these results also indicate that the pupils’ skills in clarifying their visual designs do not necessarily directly relate to the functionality of what they have concretized in the end products. The implications of the study for craft education are discussed; brief recommendations are made on how craft should be taught at school and what should be emphasized in the courses’ content.