Developmental Assessment of Visual Communication Skills in Primary Education

Area of Science:

• Education
• Visual Arts
• Cognitive Development

Background:

• The Common European Framework of Visual Literacy (CEFR-VC) provides a structure for visual communication skills.
• Assessing visual communication subskills in primary education is crucial for curriculum development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define and assess subskills of visual communication within the "produce" and "respond" domains of the CEFR-VC.
• To develop and validate online digital assessment tools for authentic assessment in visual literacy.
• To describe the developmental trajectory of visual communication subskills in primary school students.

Main Methods:

• Development and validation of online digital assessment tools for visual communication subskills.
• Administration of diagnostic tests in the eDia environment for the "respond" domain (Grades 4-6).
• Utilizing GeoGebra for developing and testing tools for the "produce" domain (Grades 5-8).

Main Results:

• Increasing attainment observed in visual communication subskills within the "produce" domain across age groups.
• Limited or no significant development noted in the "respond" domain, potentially due to curriculum underrepresentation.
• Visual skill development is distinct from non-art academic achievement and weakly correlated with gender and digital literacy.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a detailed description of visual communication subskills and assessment tools for educators.
• Teachers can use these resources to prioritize subskill development within limited art education time.
• Enhancing visual communication as a cross-curricular competency can foster visual-spatial intelligence.