The Impact of Teaching Through a Practical Approach Using Puppet Theater and Animation Techniques on Acquiring Artistic Concepts Among Fifth-Grade Primary School Students

Abstract

Due to the increasing number of students in a single classroom and the resulting diversity in individual differences, it has become essential for teachers to focus on various activities that cater to the varying levels of student comprehension. The practical approach involves the direct application of educational theories in the learning environment, which enhances student understanding and improves their cognitive acquisition and skillful and artistic performance. One of the key features of this approach is the integration of theoretical and practical aspects, making it an effective tool for achieving the goals of education in general. The research problem is defined as: (The Impact of Teaching Through a Practical Approach Using Puppet Theater and Animation Techniques on Acquiring Artistic Concepts Among Elementary School Students).

The research aimes to:

Identify the impact of teaching using the practical approach with puppet theater and animation techniques on primary school students' acquisition of artistic concepts. This objective was addressed through the procedures outlined in Chapter Three, and the following null hypotheses were tested:

1. There are no statistically significant differences at the level of (0.05) between the pre- and post-test mean scores in acquiring artistic concepts among the experimental group.
2. There are no statistically significant differences at the level of (0.05) between the pre- and post-test mean scores in acquiring artistic concepts among the control group.
3. There are no statistically significant differences at the level of (0.05) between the post-test mean scores of the experimental and control groups in acquiring artistic concepts.

The research population consisted of coeducational primary schools under the General Directorate of Education in Diyala Province / Baqubah District Center, totaling 43 schools with 23,494 students. The researcher randomly selected Al-Khamayel Coeducational Primary School, which had three fifth-grade sections. These formed the representative sample, where Section A (50 students) was the experimental group, Section B (52 students) was the control group, and Section C (42 students) was used for the pilot study. As part of the research procedures, a knowledge-based test was developed to measure artistic concepts (color, space, texture, area and volume, shape, and line). The test included 18 questions (multiple choice and true/false) derived from the content of the art education curriculum to evaluate the research objectives and hypotheses. The data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. The results showed Statistically significant differences at the (0.05) level between the experimental group taught using the practical approach and the control group taught using traditional methods in the post-test for acquiring artistic concepts. The study concluded that focusing on concepts through presentations positively engaged the students and had a clear impact in favor of the experimental group taught using puppet theater and animation techniques. The effective use of dialogue in puppet theater and animation reinforced learners' participation in knowledge acquisition. Based on the study's conclusions, the researcher recommends emphasizing modern and especially practical or experimental teaching approaches to develop concept and skill acquisition, specifically in teaching arts and physical education. Teachers should also be trained and encouraged to use various presentation-based activities.