Secondary School Students’ Response to Learning the Concept of the Destruction and Transformation of an Artwork into Another Artwork in the Visual Arts Class

Oct 15, 2026

Empirical research examines how secondary school students respond to learning the concept of destruction and transformation of artworks within visual arts education. The study addresses an identified gap in art-education content and highlights the teacher’s responsibility to integrate conceptual and contemporary practices thoughtfully. Conducted in two first-year classes over four school hours, it collects qualitative and quantitative data through discussions and student creative practice involving initial artworks followed by destruction and transformation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The role of an art educator and conceptualism strategies in art education

Empirical study design and objectives

Student responses and attitudes

Data collection and findings

Discussion and conclusion

Received: 29 August 2023, Accepted: 30 November 2023, Published on-line as Recently Accepted Paper: 15 January 2024 DOI: [https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1734](https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1734) Secondary School Students’ Response to Learning the Concept of the Destruction and Transformation of an Artwork into Another Artwork in the Visual Arts Class Daša Bojc*1 and Robert Potočnik2 • This empirical study aimed to introduce the concept of destruction and transformation into secondary school art education as a potential way of incorporating conceptual and contemporary artistic practices. Experts have highlighted the absence of such content in art education, emphasising the responsibility of teachers to integrate it into the learning process thoughtfully. To encourage students to engage in profound thinking about destruction and internalise the essence of conceptual art through practical experiences, we conducted a study at a Ljubljana secondary school. Here, students created their initial artwork (readymade), a prerequisite for its subsequent destruction and transformation into a new artwork. We included two first-year classes, exploring 1) their response to the presented artworks aligned with the researched concept, 2) their attitude towards destroying and transforming their initial artwork, and 3) their response to the concept of destruction and transformation through their creative practice. Over four school hours, we gathered data through both qualitative and quantitative research techniques. The results showed that in-depth discussions of conceptual foundations led to a predominantly positive student attitude towards contemporary artworks. They not only understood but also internalised the essence of these artworks, which was vividly reflected in their practical artistic expressions. In conclusion, the study effectively introduced the concept of destruction and transformation into secondary school art education, promoting a deeper understanding of contemporary art among students while cultivating their creative and critical thinking skills. Keywords: art education, conceptual art, contemporary art practices, destruction, secondary school, transformation 1 *Corresponding Author. PhD student at the Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; [dasa.bojc@gmail.com](dasa.bojc@gmail.com). 2 Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. 74 secondary school students’ response to learning the concept of destruction ... Odziv dijakov na spoznavanje koncepta destrukcijein transformacije dela v drugo delo pri pouku likovneumetnosti Daša Bojc in Robert Potočnik • Cilj empirične raziskave je bil vpeljati koncept destrukcije in transformacije v pouk likovne umetnosti kot mogoč način vključevanja konceptualnih in sodobnih umetniških praks na srednješolski ravni izobraževanja. Strokovnjaki namreč opozarjajo na pomanjkanje tovrstnih vsebin v likovnopedagoški praksi in poudarjajo odgovornost učiteljev, da skozi premišljen pristop te vpeljujejo v učni proces. Da bi pri dijakihspodbudili poglobljeno razmišljanje o destrukciji in da bi prek likovneizkušnje ponotranjili bistvo konceptualne umetnosti, smo na srednji šoliv Ljubljani izvedli empirično raziskavo. V okviru te so dijaki ustvariliprvi likovni izdelek (angl. ready-made), ki je bil predpogoj za nadaljnje uničenje in preobrazbo v drugi likovni izdelek. V raziskavo smo vključili dva razreda dijakov prvih letnikov, pri čemer so nas zanimali: 1) njihovodziv na prikazana umetniška dela, ki sovpadajo z raziskovanim konceptom; 2) njihov odnos do uničenja in preobrazbe prvega likovnega izdelka; 3) njihov odziv na koncept destrukcije in transformacije skozi lastno ustvarjalno prakso. V obeh razredih smo izvedli štiri šolske ure, znotraj katerih smo zbirali podatke s pomočjo tehnik kvalitativnega inkvantitativnega raziskovanja. Ugotovili smo, da se je poglobljena obravnava konceptualnih izhodišč skozi diskusijo odražala v večinsko pozitivnem odnosu di

FAQs

What was the purpose of the study in visual arts education?

The study aimed to introduce destruction and transformation as part of secondary school art education by incorporating conceptual and contemporary artistic practices.

How did students participate in the learning process?

Students first created an initial artwork (readymade), which served as the prerequisite for destroying and transforming it into a new artwork through their creative practice.

What were the study’s main findings?

In-depth discussions of conceptual foundations led to a predominantly positive student attitude toward contemporary artworks, reflected in their practical artistic expressions.

Oct 15, 2026

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