Teacher perspectives on an arts initiative in schools:‘Filling the pail or lighting the fire?’

Abstract

Arts organisations partnering with schools have gained increased popularity as a means of delivering arts education. In the main, this has meant artists and companies offering pre-determined workshops. Although these involvements have been found to be useful, a gap in how these initiatives can enhance the teaching of arts education still exists. Therefore, this paper explores primary teachers' perspectives, regarding whether an Irish arts initiative - The Creative Schools Initiative-Scoileanna Íldánacha (CS) - impacted their teaching of arts education. A multi-site case study, this research was conducted in a purposive sample of eight Irish primary schools who had participated in the initiative. Using online surveys, both quantitative and qualitative data was collected from 50 primary teachers. Key findings indicated that, although teachers engaged positively with the initiative, it only had a limited impact on teachers’ confidence regarding teaching arts education. Consequently, strong reiterations for professional development were emphasised throughout. Bearing this in mind, this study could contribute to further development of arts initiatives such as the CS, ensuring they have a lasting, sustainable impact on the teaching of arts education in primary schools.