Art Education with Attitude

This study is on operational competence of Visual Arts teachers’ art practice, focusing on the factors influencing their competence and its relevance in contemporary contexts of arts education. Drawing upon literature from education, art pedagogy, and teacher training, this study identifies key factors that contribute to the operational competence of Visual Arts practice, including artistic skill, proficiency and reflective practice. Through an analysis of empirical studies and practical insights, the study highlights the visual arts teachers’ own art practice factors. It also underscores the significance of research informed policies and curriculum frameworks that support the holistic development of Visual Arts education and the cultivation of a vibrant artistic community within schools and society at large. It engages qualitative research design. A sample of twelve (12) Visual Arts students and one (1) Visual Arts teacher each from eleven (11) schools within the six Education Districts of Lagos State were purposively selected. Data was obtained using Portfolio Review Rubrics. Thematic Analysis was employed in analysing data gathered. Findings revealed that Visual Arts teachers’ competence in art practice differs in nuances of scope. It also revealed that teachers’ competence in art practice is a determinant of students’ learning outcome in art practice. Based on the findings, recommendations were made that workshops and conferences on art practice and pedagogy be organised for Visual Arts teachers to improve their operational competence in art practice. It further recommended that art teachers’ training curriculum be re-packaged to include more art practice activities than pedagogy so as to adequately build their art practice competence in scope and strength for prospective art teaching career.

Education is a unique socio-cultural phenomenon specific to humanity, influencing the entire human world. With societal advancement and transformation, the responsibilities of arts and humanities education are increasingly significant. Following the rapid economic development of China, art education has entered a favorable development period after the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Comprehensively Strengthening and Improving Aesthetic Education in Schools in the New Era" on October 15, 2020. As one of the essential cultural educational activities, art education plays a crucial role in guiding the public towards healthy values and aesthetic concepts. This compels us to reflect on the true purpose of art education. This article will focus on the status and objectives of art education in contemporary China from six perspectives: The Essential Role of Art Education, Innovation and Economic Advancement, Technology and Art Education, Cultural Soft Power, International Communication and Cooperation, and Social Stability and Harmony Aesthetic education has a long history in human society and holds a unique tradition in China. Therefore, I hope that through art education, the public can better acquire the ability to appreciate, enjoy, and create beauty, thereby promoting harmonious and sustainable social development.

While the cultural policy adopted by Ghana on her attainment of political independence aims to offer the Ghanaian people opportunities to revive, preserve, and develop their indigenous culture, not much has been done in terms of documenting the Ghanaian cultural arts for both cultural record and educational purposes. This is because most of the experts of indigenous Ghanaian cultural matters are illiterates. These cultural experts depend mainly on an oral tradition for transmitting information about their culture. Communal beliefs and values, and ideas about cultural behaviours and actions, cultural symbols and images are passed on to the younger generations through stories, proverbs, and folk songs, among others. The people of Ghana have a characteristic of thinking about the world in which they live in symbolic terms. Thus, they use a wide range of symbol systems in accordance with various aspects of their social and cultural life, including the practice of their arts. Indeed, Ghanaian artistic expression is mostly symbolically oriented, serving to represent communal beliefs that are deeply rooted in historical, philosophical, social, religious, economic, and political values which form the basis of all major areas of Ghanaian cultural knowledge that gave birth to their arts. The national call for cultural revival, as well as a new urge for cultural identity among Ghanaians, today, has resulted in an urgent need for a research to document various aspects of the Ghanaian culture for use as educational and reference material to augment the oral tradition which is becoming increasingly inadequate in meeting the educational needs of the people. This study identifies and interprets the meanings of some symbolic key expressions as they are found in particular examples of the indigenous cultural arts of Ghana, namely: the visual, performing, and verbal art forms. The documentation includes the social and cultural significance (relevance) and aesthetic attributions of these symbolic artistic expressions and art forms to the people of Ghana. The documentation is done in a way that makes it applicable for arts education in Ghanaian schools. The Ghanaian cultural arts have been incorporated as an interdisciplinary study under a curriculum enrichment programme--a supporting content of the general education programme--rendering instruction in them to become an ancillary activity. This disparity between the goals of general education and arts education has resulted in the latter being relegated to the peripheries of the general school curriculum. The study, therefore proposes teaching and learning strategies for using the documented materials in the Primary, Junior Secondary, and Senior Secondary School levels of education in Ghana, using a discipline-based art education (D.B.A.E.) approach which integrates studio practice (art-making) with the historical, aesthetics, and critical domains of the arts. The resulting body of literature on the Ghanaian arts together with the suggested approaches to teaching and learning result in an arts education programme that is appropriate for Ghanaian schools. By studying the arts in relation to their own cultural context students will understand the arts they have been living with as part of their lifestyle. Their artistic skills and practices, imaginations, knowledge, and judgement will be grounded in their own cultural assumptions. In this way, students will understand and acquire the relevant literacy for effective participation in, and appreciation of their own culture.

This extensive handbook addresses a range of contemporary issues related to arts education across the world. It is divided into six sections; Contextualising Arts Education, Globally and Locally; Arts Education, Curriculum, Policy and Schooling; Arts Education Across the Life Span; Arts Education for Social Justice: Indigenous and Community Practice; Health, Wellbeing and Arts Education and Arts-Based and Research-Informed Arts Education. The Handbook explores global debates within education in the areas of dance, drama, music, media and visual arts. Presenting wide-ranging research from pedagogies of adaptation developed in Uganda to ethnomusicology in Malaysia and community participatory arts to wellbeing in Canada the Handbook highlights the universal need for arts education and in particular the importance of indigenous (including both traditional and contemporary practice) arts education. With contributions from internationally renowned scholars and practitioners and building on the World Alliance for Arts Education Global Summit in 2014, the Handbook creates an essential resource for arts education practices in and out of school alongside institutional, traditional and contemporary contexts. Students, teachers and practitioners across the arts disciplines will find the text invaluable for developing further opportunities to promote and study arts education.

Reflecting on his joint appointment in visual art and education, Stanford Professor Eliot Eisner commented that he felt less welcome in the art department than in the education department (2003). Exploring a job option at one university, I was told that as arts education faculty, neither I, nor my students, would be permitted in the school’s impressive ceramics facility. How are we to encourage developing educators to incorporate the arts into their pedagogy if they lack access to first-hand arts experiences? In response to this query, this chapter addresses the structure, content, and effect of a set of Exploring the Arts courses designed to bridge the education/studio gap with interdisciplinary arts offerings for visual artists and arts educators, as well as classroom teachers and artists across domains.

There is a rich heritage of visual art education research, which inquires into how visual art enriches and gives aesthetic meaning to peoples’ private and public lives and experiences. Researchers explore the studio art-making process; examine how people teach and learn within the related disciplines of aesthetics, art criticism, and art history; and grapple with a variety of theoretical and practical issues that are related, for example, to child development, visual perception, diversity, culture, multiculturalism, social perspectives, gender (including sexual orientation), controversial issues, and technology. They conduct their research using philosophical, quantitative, and qualitative forms of inquiry that are often derived from related disciplines such as sociology, history, anthropology, psychology, and curriculum theory. Essentially, researchers in visual art education confront the exciting challenges-new and old-that visual art provides artists, teachers, and learners within a postmodern world. The content for this chapter is based on an analysis of research findings in visual art education. Research was examined from the following sources: important research published in journals during the last 20 years (for example, Journal of Aesthetic Education; Journal of Multicultural and Cross-Cultural Studies in Art Education; Studies in Art Education; Visual Arts Research); the Dissertation Abstracts database; selected doctoral dissertations; existing research analyses (Allison, 1986; Burton, 1991, 1998; Da­ vis, 1977; Hamblen, 1989; Jones & McPhee, 1986; La Pierre & Zimmerman, 1997; La Pierre, Stokrocki, & Zimmerman, 2000); and significant monographs, books, and reports (for example, Smith, 2000). Other sources included the various publications of the National Art Education Association’s (NAEA) Research Commission (National Arts Education Association [NAEA], 1994, 1996, 1998). In addition, international journals were examined (for example, Canadian Review of Art Education; and the United Kingdom’s Journal of Art and Design Education), given that visual art education research has a long history in other parts of the world.

In the light of the contemporary discussions of political theory and philosophy, and current demonstrations regarding democracy, this practice-based research aims to examine the role of art at the dawn of new democratic understandings and practices focusing specifically on the function of the artist as author. Simultaneously an analysis of current and radical theories around democracy and an exercise of criticality from the practice of art, this project searches for ways of practising, experiencing and understanding democratic values. The function of the author/artist and its possible re-siting proposes an hypothesis of practising democracy in the ‘artworld’ that stems from my own artistic practice. Following the proposition of diluting oneself as an artist, this thesis hopes to clarify why we believe that art practices can fulfil a leading role in putting into practice new modes of democracy. The path outlined by my artistic projects selected for this research suggests a move towards not only the redefinition of the role of the artist, but also what constitutes an artistic gesture. The consequences of the disarticulation of the given triangulation of the art world authorship, artwork and spectatorship that gives an art project its coefficient of visibility and ultimate inscription in the realm of art, are at stake in this research. This particularly holds true for the displacement of the function of the author. I am looking for new understandings of democracy in art practices, the role of the artist, and her function in the respective projects and the different modes of relationality with either engaged or removed publics. The enquiry into these understandings is motivated primarily by my practice. My conclusion could lead to an understanding of democracy as a series of encounters with the possibility that the question ‘who speaks?’ be of no importance at all, opening up a possibility for a different and perhaps more egalitarian practice and experience of the arts. These conclusions and, subsequently, the types of practice that they might engender can overflow into broader fields and have an effect on different modes of being-together, i.e., the democratic encounter could offer not only a different experience of the arts but also from there be abstracted to a level of experience of other social assemblages.

The subject of this thesis is a perception that the visual arts is declining in value in Australian culture. The rationale for this perception is drawn in the immediate sense from repeated debate in favour of abolition of the Australia Council (the premier source of grant funding to artistic producers). The method selected to investigate this perception is a comparison of rational and social epistemologies for curriculum, based respectively on the work of Arthur Efland and Theodor Adorno. By making this comparison, the thesis argues that the perceived shrinkage in the value and status of visual art is based on a fundamental conflict between the meanings of “art” and “culture”. The context of the debate is in fact perceptions of curriculum and their function vis-à-vis “cultural production” and is taken here to signal a change in the way Australia regards and values artistic activity. <br> <br> The thesis argues that culture needs to be defined appropriate to the Australian experience of “cultural production”. A lack of appropriate definition has resulted in terms like “creativity” becoming so broad in meaning that they are losing theoretical impact. I am inquiring as to what this loss of meaningfulness indicates about art education: some of the questions I ask in order to conduct the inquiry address whether the switch from visual art to visual culture signals a decline in the value of artistic culture; or does it owe itself to changing conditions between art education and artistic employment or commerce? <br> <br> The study examines visual art in particular as it might fall within the realm of Australian cultural production, providing one instance of artistic employment (i.e., in the visual arts). The focus of the study will be on addressing the stand-off between visual arts and visual culture in the field of curriculum studies: my method entails the application of Theodor Adorno’s aesthetic theory so as to place visual art and visual culture within a framework by which both rational and social epistemologies of art education can be used to define change in the realm of cultural production. <br> <br> Such change will include a re-evaluation of the role of visual art within higher education. At Monash University in Melbourne, the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture has progressively eroded the value of different studio practices by shutting down programs in disciplines that cannot attract sufficient enrolments. The institution appears to displace artistic practice, and to favour visual culture as a more reliable, rational form of investment, leading to more secure forms of employment, and offering less risk in terms of the returns to public education and the economy more generally. <br> <br> Visual culture, or visual culture studies, purports to be a postmodern approach to the study of art and replaces fine art and visual art studies, which represent a more rational epistemology within the field of art education. Visual culture studies aims to work with the current corporate and technocratic reality rather than deny its existence. It permits interdisciplinarity and the removal of a metanarrative about the artist as hero, offering in its place a semblance of plurality, multiplicity, indeterminacy and fragmentation. <br> <br> Visual culture embraces forms of symbolic analysis to construct meaning or rather, to analyse artworks (Lankshear, 1997); addresses digital and social media more readily, and turns to visual literacy to justify the artfulness of artworks (de Duve, 1994; Brown, 2003). This process may suggest a value-free art is being practised: it erodes the significance of traditional aesthetic skills, making aesthetic judgment less essential to the creation of an artwork. <br> <br> One implication of this change is to free fine art in general from its supposedly elitist origins, and to enable the art world to encompass both “high” and “low” art forms with equal value. This new value, which is implicitly more value-free than the high art it seeks to overturn, destabilizes art to the point that it has so few boundaries its continued existence (in its traditional form) becomes questionable.

This paper reflects on the role of phenomenological hermeneutics as part of art history and theory programmes in art education. Though initially confined to Philosophy, this branch of hermeneutics can be utilised in Art Education also, as concepts explored here such as the appropriation of knowledge, interpretation, reading and understanding offer an effective tool to investigate the strength and potential of subjectivity, metaphoricity and embodiment in art practice. This paper begins with a reflection on the most effective space where theory teaching can take place and offers the concept of the hermeneutical space, where teaching is inclusive and supportive of self determined contributions to processes of theoretical reflection on art practice. A mutual learning experience is fostered in this environment, where teacher and student respect each other's readings. Finally, I put forward suggestions as to how this can be realised in an actual teaching situation by relating my own experience.

Trends in Teaching Civics with Learning Media: A Systematic Review. Objectives: This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of digital media-based learning media in Civics education. The study synthesizes existing literature to identify key trends, methodologies, and outcomes in the use of learning media for teaching civics. The review highlights the significant impact of the digital revolution on educational practices, particularly in enhancing student engagement and interactivity in Civics education. Method: The research utilizes a systematic review ensuring a comprehensive analysis of the impact and implementation of digital learning media in teaching civics. Key themes identified include experiential learning, problem-solving, civic engagement, reasoning, and civic literacy. Findings: Reveal a predominant focus on interactive media and video, reflecting a trend towards more engaging and immersive learning experiences. However, challenges such as the digital divide and the need for continuous teacher training are also discussed. The review underscores the importance of innovative approaches in civics education, with implications for curriculum development and pedagogical practices. Conclusion: Educators can foster a more informed and engaged learning environment by integrating digital media effectively and more curiously. The study concludes that while significant advances have been made, ongoing efforts are needed to address existing challenges and maximize the benefits of digital learning media in Civics education. Benchmarking these efforts against experiential learning, problem-solving, civic engagement, reasoning, and civic literacy must be applied with interactive learning approaches. Keywords: teaching civic, learning media, civic education, systematic review. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23960/jpp.v14.i2.202472

The present study addressed the theme of pedagogical practices in art that incorporate literature as a resource for addressing cultural diversity in elementary school I. The objective was to demonstrate the importance of the literary book as a pedagogical tool for the art teacher, both by using written language and images, with a focus on practices and experiences lived with elementary school I classes in the municipal network of Uberlândia between 2019 and 2022. The methodology adopted was based on thematic analysis through bibliographic research, as well as the preparation of a report of the researcher's pedagogical practices as an art educator. The research focused on the interfaces between art, literature and cultural diversity, examining how the literary book can be used as a valuable tool to enrich art education and promote an inclusive and plural approach to cultural diversity. The results showed that the literary book constitutes an effective pedagogical resource, capable of awakening the interest and curiosity of students, as well as providing a more diverse and contextualized learning in art. The connection between art and literature allowed a rich and engaging approach to cultural diversity, contributing to a deeper and more empathetic understanding of the world and promoting respect and appreciation for cultural differences. In addition, the work resulted in the creation of a literary guide to cultural diversity and an online collection with titles of literature, reviews, and other information that aim to enrich pedagogical work in the field of cultural diversity. It was concluded that the experiences addressed in the study exemplify effective ways of working with cultural diversity in the classroom, valuing the experiences of students and using the literary book as a fundamental ally of pedagogical practices in art. The art educator has at his disposal a diverse range of resources that, if well used, can significantly contribute to the formation of individuals who are more aware, critical, and respectful of the cultural plurality that characterizes Brazilian society.

Because of education reform policy and misconceptions about artistry and artistic assessment, visual art education remains in the margins of high school education. One response to the lack of supportive arts education policy is the Advanced Placement (AP) Studio Art Program, a visual arts assessment at the high school level that engages large numbers of students in rigorous art experiences. This article reviews the structure and characteristics of the AP portfolio assessment as a basis for critique and policy analysis. At issue are the reliability of this assessment's measurements and its level of credibility with key constituencies. These concerns are especially relevant in a testing culture in which objective evaluations are highly regarded and art education programs are often threatened. The authors suggest possibilities for future research and policy recommendations for secondary art education.

The integration of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into education has become a global priority, yet empirical research on their implementation within arts education remains scarce. While both international and Lithuanian policy documents emphasize the role of culture and the arts in promoting sustainable development, less is known about how arts educators perceive and apply SDG-related themes in their daily practice. This study addresses this gap by examining the attitudes, practices, and perceived competences of arts educators, drawing on a quantitative survey of 164 respondents representing music, visual arts, and other artistic disciplines. The theoretical framework highlights the intersection of sustainable development, cultural policy, and art education. Global strategies such as the European Green Deal and UNESCO’s Framework for Culture and Arts Education underscore the transformative potential of artistic practices for sustainability, while Lithuanian national documents emphasize the integration of sustainability competences across educational sectors. Pedagogical paradigms such as ecopedagogy, art-based environmental education, and the STREAM/STEAM concept provide a rationale for linking creative practices with ecological, social, and ethical dimensions of sustainability. Empirical findings reveal that sustainable development themes are integrated across artistic fields, though with varying emphases. The most frequently cited goals were SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation). Music educators tend to associate their practice with health, well-being, and social engagement, reflecting the affective and community-building nature of music. Visual arts and ceramics educators emphasize ecological awareness, responsible use of materials, and environmental concerns, while educators in other fields such as theatre, dance, and media arts combine both approaches through interdisciplinary projects. When asked about artistic means used to integrate sustainability themes, educators most frequently mentioned movement, dynamics, symbols, metaphors, and rhythm. These artistic tools illustrate the potential of the arts to communicate abstract ideas and evoke emotional engagement. Visual and compositional means such as space, structure, and color were also widely employed, particularly among visual arts educators. These findings underline that the integration of sustainability through the arts is closely linked to the specific expressive logic of each discipline. Educators’ self-assessment of their knowledge related to sustainable development was mostly moderate to high, with the majority rating themselves between three and four on a five-point scale. Only a small group (6.8%) considered themselves experts, while a notable minority felt insufficiently prepared. This indicates a broad base of awareness but also a clear need to strengthen practical competences. The main professional development priorities identified were enhancing media and artistic skills, expanding project-based and interdisciplinary teaching, and improving pedagogical methods for sustainability-related themes. At the same time, educators face significant challenges. The most frequently reported obstacles include a lack of knowledge and practical competences and limited funding for sustainability-oriented projects. These challenges are directly related to educators’ requests for methodological assistance, institutional collaboration, and financial resources, identified as the most urgent needs. Such findings demonstrate that systemic support—methodological, institutional, and financial—is crucial for sustainable integration in arts education. Qualitative responses further emphasize educators’ awareness of their unique role in fostering values, critical thinking, empathy, and social responsibility. Many participants highlighted the capacity of the arts to make sustainability themes accessible, experiential, and personally meaningful through creative exploration. However, they also stressed that without systematic support, such initiatives risk remaining fragmented and short-term. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that arts educators in Lithuania perceive themselves as active agents of sustainability education, already engaging with sustainable development themes through diverse artistic means. Their practices reflect the logic of their disciplines, yet they share common needs for professional development, resources, and institutional support. Bridging the gap between policy aspirations and classroom realities requires targeted training, stable funding mechanisms, and stronger partnerships with cultural and civil society organizations. The findings mark an initial stage of a broader research agenda, providing a foundation for future longitudinal studies on the intersection of arts education and sustainability.

Visual art education has moved from the traditional studio model towards e-learning practices. This paper presents a comparative exploration of art education goals in research papers (N=48) and among visual art teachers in higher education (N=24), as well as the teaching patterns they use in online practice. We qualitatively analyzed research papers on art teaching goals and interviewed international higher-level visual arts art educators from different countries. The inductive analysis identified many visual art teaching goals and art teaching patterns the teachers used to reach their objectives in e-learning. The analysis connected the overarching learning objectives and art teaching patterns. The paper proposes a visualized model of art education objectives and patterns for art teaching in e-learning. By unveiling and categorizing art education patterns in e-learning mode, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationship between pedagogical strategies and the overarching goals of art education.

Viewing sustainability as a process rather than a goal places artists, designers and art educators in a key position to contribute to sustainability. Following Anthony Giddens’s theories of structuration and socialization, we can see that established values, world-views, structures, rules and norms influence human behaviour. However, as individuals begin to recognize the potential of reflexivity and ask themselves how change is possible, they learn to modify their behaviour. Art education needs to promote reflexivity in order to contribute to a sustainable process of change. Artistic practices and art education stress the value of shaping the self and our relations with others, and can lead learners to transcend common boundaries through creative thinking and imagining alternative realities. Partnerships forged by art educators amongst themselves and with other stakeholders can create new spaces of experience and empower individuals to achieve change. This Special Issue explores how art educators, activists and artists engage with processes of educational, cultural and political change and embrace sustainability inside and outside school.