A small drop of ink, falling like dew : an investigation into the process of interpreting the written word into an illustration : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, New Zealand
Year: 2008
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This investigation’s origin is one born of pragmatism. It seeks to improve the teaching \nand learning of illustration, a visual communication design discipline. The specific \nfocus is text adaptation and the process involved in interpreting the written word into \na visual image. Common characteristics of poor interpretation, identified after many \nyears of teaching illustration, are the creation of images which are either based on \nrelatively insignificant details from a text, or so removed from a text’s theme, that \ndecoding an image’s intended meaning becomes extremely difficult. This study \ntherefore seeks to provide insight into the process of interpreting written text into an \nillustration and offer some suggestions as to how novice illustration students can \nimprove their skills in this process. \nThe chosen methodology of this study is action research, and within a constructivistinterpretivist \nframework, work carried out with three groups of novice students, \nduring three linked cycles of investigation has been analysed. Two separate, but \nlinked learning strategies were developed incrementally. These can be thought of as \nthinking tools. The first one relates to comprehension of text while the second strategy \nfocuses on analogical reasoning as an idea generation method. The data suggests that \nthese learning strategies were successful, allowing students to develop more \nawareness of their design process and also create concepts which captured the essence \nof a text. This suggests that, while designing does involve tacit, intuitive thought, \nexplicit methods of thinking can also assist design creativity. \nMuch of the literature on design suggests that a paradigm shift is taking place within \nthe field, in education as well as design practice. One of the characteristics of this \nchange is a call for design educators to develop an epistemology of what constitutes \ndesign knowledge. This thesis is an addition to that ongoing search for understanding.
Author: Michael McAuley
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1504699973