Arts-Based Critical Inquiry in Nursing and Interdisciplinary Professional Education

Abstract

In this article, transformative educators are encouraged to use an arts-based critical inquiry approach within their diversity-sensitive teaching practice. Using a Socratic dialogue, the authors describe how guided imagery, images, narratives, and poetry have been useful in developing transformative insights in relation to spiritual/ecological values, sexual orientation, and culture in the context of nursing and interdisciplinary professional education. Arts-based approaches that incorporate constructivist dimensions can potentially stimulate critical inquiry in educational settings that can spark the thoughtful dialogue and passion needed for practitioners to engage in emancipatory practices for social change. The underlying adult learning theoretical frameworks for this teaching and learning dialogue are transformative learning and unlearning. Innovative arts-based and experiential approaches to diversity-sensitive teaching nurture the dynamic engagement and individual and collective reflection that fosters interpersonal understanding and hope for meaningful community connections and social change.