AN ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ LEARNING NEEDS IN A BASIC DRAWING COURSE IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY

Abstract

his mixed-methods study investigates the learning needs of Digital Media Technology students in a basic drawing course in Chinese higher education. Quantitative data were collected from 76 students via a questionnaire, and qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with eight students and two instructors, analysed using descriptive statistics and grounded theory coding. The findings reveal that most students lack prior drawing experience and experience both skill deficiency and drawing-related stress. Results indicate a mismatch between students' cognitive tendencies and the experiential nature of drawing. Students identified increasing interest and making practice more engaging as their primary learning needs, while traditional materials and repetitive tasks were perceived as ineffective. This study conceptualises students' learning challenges as an affective-cognitive gap rather than merely a lack of foundational skills. Practically, the findings suggest that instructional improvement should prioritise engaging, differentiated practice activities over fundamental changes to teaching models. These insights provide implications for designing drawing instruction for non-art majors.