Abstract

Many secondary students enter art classrooms believing that artistic ability is an innate talent rather than a skill that can be developed, often resulting in low confidence, perfectionist tendencies, and a reluctance to take creative risks. This action research study investigated how participation in a crafts-focused bookmaking curriculum affected students' engagement, divergent creativity, artmaking, and mindset in relation to success, failure, and creative risk-taking. Drawing on research in growth mindset, guided mastery, craft education, and artists' books, I designed and implemented a scaffolded curriculum that progressed from structured bookbinding techniques and process-based exploration to conceptually driven artists' books. The study was conducted over two years in a public high school bookmaking course, using classroom observations, reflective teacher journals, student artwork, surveys, and written reflections to examine student growth. Findings suggest that a craft-oriented curriculum emphasizing making rather than artistic talent fosters increased engagement, confidence, persistence, and willingness to experiment. As students progressed through scaffolded experiences, they became more comfortable with uncertainty, viewed mistakes as opportunities for learning, and demonstrated greater ownership of their ideas through meaningful and divergent artistic outcomes. Although individual growth varied, with several important outliers illustrating the continued influence of perfectionism and fear of failure, the overall findings indicate that a crafts-focused bookmaking curriculum can provide an accessible pathway into artmaking while supporting students in developing confidence, resilience, and a growth-oriented mindset as capable makers.

Degree

MA

College and Department

Fine Arts and Communications; Art

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2026-07-31

Document Type

Thesis

Keywords

bookmaking, artists' books, creative confidence, art education, art curriculum, growth mindset, craft-based learning

Language

english

Download

Included in

Fine Arts Commons

Share

COinS