NATURE AND NURTURE INTERACTION IN ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT AND APPRECIATION AMONG ARTS STUDENTS OF UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTH EAST, NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
Nature and nurture are believed to be on constant interaction in the formation of personality. This appears to be the same with the development of artistic talent and skills. The process of developing artistic abilities is a complex enterprise involving a complex creative thought process and pattern. This complex creative thought process is a conscious application and expenditure of creative thought energy. The levels at which artists process expend these dynamic creative energy vary, just as their micro and macro environment. The causes and impact of these variations need to be constantly explored. This study therefore explores the interaction between nature and nurture in artistic development and appreciation among art students. For this purpose, 502 art students of four universities that offer Fine and Applied Arts in South East, Nigeria were used for this study. A four point scaled questionnaire was designed and administered to these students to free their pulse on their perception on how genetic and environmental variables affect their artistic development as well as the content of their work. The outcome were analysed using mean score, percentage score, chi square, Spearman’s rank order correlation coefficient and t-test. Following the collection and analysis of data, some pertinent findings were registered. They include among other things the fact that (a) Nature was found to influence artistic growth and development (b) Nurture variables, were also found to influence the development of artistic behaviour (c) Artistic attainment of students was found to be positively and significantly linked to those of their kinship (d) The experience of growing up in the home was also found to be an influencing factor in artistic growth and development. (e) Again, the experience of belonging to a given social class was found to influence the individuals artistic growth and development (f) Finally, cultural variables were found to influence the content of art students work.