Figure 1
Annotated photo showing suggested materials at each desk for the gyotaku activity. Photo: Jeffrey Ashley. Reproduced with permission of the photographer.
Figure 2
Various marine species, purchased from a local market, were arranged in ‘buffet’ style so students could choose their own specimens for the gyotaku activity. Synthetic (plastic) fish (foreground right photo) were also included as an option. Photos: Jeffrey Ashley. Reproduced with permission of the photographer.
Figure 3
Five-step process of gyotaku. Photos: Jeffrey Ashley. Reproduced with permission of the photographer.
Table 1
Student survey questions and response types used to assess the gyotaku activity.
| QUESTION NUMBER | QUESTION | QUESTION TYPE |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | This activity enhanced my learning. | Likert Scale |
| Q2 | This activity enhanced my enjoyment of the course. | Likert Scale |
| Q3 | This activity related to topics being learned in course. | Likert Scale |
| Q4 | Rate the organization of this activity. | Likert Scale |
| Q5 | What did you like about this activity? What did you dislike? | Open Response |
| Q6 | What suggestions do you have if this activity was done again? | Open Response |
Figure 4
Examples of student work. Photo: Jeffrey Ashley. Reproduced with permission of the photographer.
Figure 5
Responses to the Likert-scale survey questions.
Table 2
Student responses to the survey question asking “What did you like about this activity? What did you dislike?”
| STUDENT NUMBER | STUDENT COMMENTS |
|---|---|
| 1 | I loved how we had the freedom to bring our own creativity into it. I didn’t dislike anything |
| 2 | I really enjoyed the hands-on aspect of the activity, especially creating the fish prints and seeing how they turned out. It was fascinating to learn about the cultural history of Gyotaku and how it connects art with marine life. The creative process was both relaxing and educational! |
| 3 | I loved the way that it was very open in terms of creative liberty. The protocol was very simple, and it was a stress-free event. |
| 4 | The outcome of the art at the end |
| 5 | I really liked how this activity made everyone participate. I think everyone had fun and it was a great experience that is memorable and fun. I do not think there was anything I disliked about the activity besides the smell but that went away quickly. |
| 6 | I liked that it was something different than normal. It was fun to create images of the fish, and it was a great idea. The one thing I didn’t like is the paint gets on everything. |
| 7 | I liked how interactive this activity was and how we were able to find a creative outlet, which as a pre-medical major we do not get to see as much so I appreciated it. |
| 8 | I liked the creativity aspect and being able to utilize different colors and see different types of sea creatures. I think that some of the fish and animals were a little hard to get the details to transfer to the paper. |
| 9 | That we got to pick and choose how we carried out the activity after being given the instructions, that we didn’t have to do step by step of everyone doing the same thing. |
| 10 | I love how hands on and interactive the activity is. |
| 11 | I loved the process of being able to use various fish and being able to print them. I loved that I was able to partner with a friend to do this together. Very enjoyable experience. |
| 12 | It was fun and creative, the session felt very chill. There is no dislike |
| 13 | This activity was very interesting and definitely very fun. It was a nice break from lecturing and creates a playful way of learning about the cultures. |
| 14 | I think it was super cool to get to paint like actual fish. I did not like the smell of the fish but that was just a personal thing |
| 15 | I loved how you got to work with other classmates, but also that it was a hands-on activity which is always fun! |
| 16 | I liked being able to draw and paint, and I liked being able to learn about other cultures while working! That was really fun! |
| 17 | I loved how organized this activity was and how I was able to be creative with my own work! This was a great activity to conduct during this busy time in the semester, as it allowed me to take a break from all my schoolwork and just immerse myself into this fun activity. |
| 18 | I liked the variety of the organisms we could try the technique with. |
| 19 | This was my favorite activity ever. I love how I was able to use my creativity. It was so relaxing to do this activity during a stressful time. |
| 20 | I liked the artistic aspect of it, nothing I disliked |
| 21 | The activity was a lot of fun. It felt like something different, and it was highly engaging overall. |
| 22 | I thought it was pretty unique. If you wanted an answer in terms of “play”, I thought this activity really advanced play and added to the course as a whole. |
Figure 6
Word cloud generated from student responses to the open-ended question asking “What did you like about this activity? What did you dislike?”