This study aims to describe the role of learning media in improving students' learning outcomes in Art Education, particularly on two-dimensional and three-dimensional art materials for fourth-grade students at SD Negeri Salamsari. This research employed a qualitative approach using a case study design. The research subjects consisted of a fourth-grade teacher and 24 fourth-grade students. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and documentation using triangulation techniques. The results indicate that the use of varied learning media, including concrete media, digital media, and teacher-made media, plays a significant role in enhancing students' learning outcomes across cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains. Learning media help students understand abstract art concepts more concretely, improve artistic skills, and increase learning motivation and appreciation of art. Supporting factors in the implementation of learning media include the availability of school facilities, institutional support, and students' enthusiasm, while inhibiting factors include technical constraints, limited learning tools, time management issues, and teachers' administrative workload. Therefore, learning media are essential in improving the quality of art learning in elementary schools.

Purpose Cultivating students’ core competencies in art has become an inevitable trend and responds to the practical needs of development in basic education. Grounded in the concept of core art competencies, this study addresses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4 on quality education, SDG 12.8 on knowledge and awareness for sustainable development, and SDG 13.3 on climate change education. In this context, there remains a lack of scientific, systematic, and practical tools for assessing students’ academic quality in art. Design/methodology/approach Based on China’s Art Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education, this study constructed a four-dimensional framework for art academic quality, comprising core art competencies, disciplinary knowledge, authentic contexts, and disciplinary tasks. A 30-item assessment instrument was developed using Item Response Theory (IRT), with weighting coefficients adapted to the developmental characteristics of secondary school students. Webb alignment analysis and pretesting were used to examine the instrument’s validity and reliability. Findings The results showed that the instrument met alignment requirements and demonstrated moderate difficulty, high reliability, and good item discrimination. It was further validated using 3,221 valid student responses collected from 120 junior high schools across five representative regions in China. IRT analysis indicated good model fit and showed that the instrument effectively captured students’ academic quality in art. Originality/value This study provides a curriculum-based and empirically validated assessment tool to support evidence-based improvement in school art education and to advance sustainable educational development in alignment with SDG 4, SDG 12.8, and SDG 13.3.

This study is grounded in the urgency of preserving local wisdom within early childhood education and the need to integrate traditional culture with national educational policies, particularly in the context of the Merdeka Curriculum. The purpose of this research is to examine the application of a multisensory approach in Reog Ponorogo arts education as a medium for promoting holistic early childhood development aligned with local cultural values and national goals. This research employed a descriptive qualitative method, specifically investigating children's authentic learning experiences through in-depth observations, open interviews, and documentation of learning activities. The findings reveal that integrating a multisensory approach in Reog learning through movement, music, costumes, and folklore has a positive impact across multiple developmental domains. Notably, improvements were observed in sensory-motor coordination, such as enhanced body balance during dance imitation and rhythm synchronization while responding to Reog’s musical patterns. Cognitive development was stimulated through cultural symbol recognition and narrative sequencing, while social-emotional skills were nurtured through collaboration in performances and increased cultural pride. In conclusion, the implementation of a multisensory approach in Reog Ponorogo arts not only supports holistic early childhood development but also serves as a bridge between local wisdom and national policy in contextualized educational practices. This study implies the importance of culturally based education in the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum in early childhood institutions.

While there has been a recent focus on reforming kindergarten curricula to emphasize a play-based learning (PBL) approach, a lingering dichotomy remains between play-based learning and pedagogical instruction aimed at academic preparation. Early music education is a critical component of the current policy emphasis on arts education and PBL, yet there is scarce research on play-based pedagogy in music education, particularly regarding children’s engagement and the applied instructional models. This study investigates how instructional practices affect children’s behavioral and emotional engagement in musical play. Data were collected at two Hong Kong kindergartens (K1–K3) using classroom observations and the Engagement Check II (ECII) tool. Thematic content analysis revealed three instructional approaches: teacher-directed routines with minimal aspects of play, guided play within structured musical contexts, and open-ended, child-initiated musical play. Analysis of the ECII data revealed high levels of behavioral engagement, with guided-play contexts yielding higher levels of behavioral and emotional engagement compared to highly teacher-directed instructional approaches. Differences in engagement levels during musical play were revealed to be correlated with age. This study highlights the need for culturally responsive music teacher training, supportive school culture, and aligned curriculum and policy implementation.

Addressing AI anxiety, acceptance, and concerns in art and design education through a gamified course

Teachers’ artificial intelligence self-efficacy is a commonly discussed topic in fine arts education, often creating a digital divide among instructors. Using the Teacher AI Competence Self-Efficacy Scale (TAICS), the quantitative, comparative, cross-sectional study examined fine arts teachers’ self-efficacy across six dimensions: AI Knowledge, AI Pedagogy, AI Assessment, AI Ethics, Human-Centered Education, and Professional Engagement. The study’s participants (N = 127) included educators in classroom and private studio instructional settings, teaching the subjects of music, drama, visual arts, piano, voice, and guitar. The study found significant differences in artificial intelligence self-efficacy among fine arts teachers across different subject areas and teaching settings. The study also found that artificial intelligence self-efficacy was inversely related to fine art teachers’ experience level.

The relevance of this study stems from the need to resolve the contradiction between society’s demand for equal rights to supplementary education for children with disabilities and their typical peers, and the insufficient systematization of educational process models that increase accessibility to children’s art schools for students with disabilities. The purpose of this article is to systematize the key areas and principles of effective work with children with disabilities and to characterize a model for organizing the educational process for children with disabilities and children with disabilities in a children’s art school. This article utilizes theoretical scientific methods—generalization, synthesis, modeling, systematization, and classification of publications and educational experience on this topic. Using a case study method, a model for organizing the educational process for children with disabilities, based on the experience of a specific institution, is substantiated. The formation of an inclusive cultural environment in an art school is ensured by a variety of educational practices, individualized instruction, a supportive communicative atmosphere, partnership with parents, and a focus on the personal and creative development of students. The educational process organization model for children with disabilities at Children’s Art School No. 4 “ArtSozvezdie” features a hierarchical structure: from the additional educational programs for early aesthetic development (inclusive inclusion and socialization) through the adapted additional general development program for free creativity and music-making to the adapted additional pre-professional program. This ensures continuity, individual adaptation, and inclusion, progressing from intervention to professional development. This article presents a model for organizing the educational process for students with disabilities at the children’s art school, examines current issues in creating conditions for an inclusive cultural environment at the school, and analyzes key aspects of developing adapted educational programs. The article also examines key areas of work with this category of students. This article is intended for all professionals involved in art education for children with disabilities and children with disabilities, and will be useful for administrators, teachers, and parents. Administrators will also benefit from recommendations on the inclusion of students with disabilities and adapted groups. Teachers are provided with a framework for various educational programs. Parents are provided with a step-by-step model for creative work and socialization for children with disabilities.

A novel decision making approach based on Picture Hesitant Fuzzy Environment for optimizing art education strategies.

Creative thinking skills are essential key competencies for the twenty-first century. They enable flexibility and help us navigate the opportunities and challenges of our complex, rapidly changing world. The growing emphasis on innovation, alongside reports of declining creative performance, highlights the importance of cultivating these skills in education. In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on nurturing and teaching creativity early in schools. While creativity is an integral part of arts education, it is less frequently emphasized in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects. Ultimately, what truly matters is the manner in which these subjects are being taught. Implementing creativity training could enhance creative thinking and hold significant benefits for educational institutions. Similar cognitive techniques that can be employed for this purpose are, i.e, metacognitive strategies that involve self-reflective thinking. Metacognition plays a central role in many areas of education and learning, such as reading, writing, language acquisition, attention, memory, and problem-solving, among others. In this study, we explore the mental functions of metacognition and creativity and the different ways they can be used to improve students’ academic performance, with a particular focus on mathematical performance. Overall, the current review study may have theoretical and practical implications for educational institutions.

The research aims to identify the pedagogical possibilities of using artificial intelligence (AI)-based assistants in teaching English to undergraduate students majoring in the arts. The paper examines modern approaches to the application of AI assistants in educational practice and their didactic potential for the development of various language skills. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the synthesis and systematization of current Russian and international research results regarding the use of AI assistants in foreign language teaching, as well as in exploring their application specifically within the context of arts education. The article analyzes the pedagogical potential of chatbots, speech recognition systems, generative language models, and intelligent services for the development of foreign language lexical skills. The analysis concludes that the use of AI assistants can facilitate the personalization of learning, increase student motivation, and expand opportunities for language practice.

Teacher welfare is a key pillar of quality education, yet arts teachers in Indonesia still face significant structural challenges. This study aims to analyze these systemic barriers and formulate a strategic model for strengthening arts teacher professionalism. Using a qualitative approach with a conceptual-analytical design, this study conducted a literature review of various scientific articles and educational policy documents from the past decade. Content analysis techniques were used to identify patterns of relationships between the concepts of welfare and the arts ecosystem. The findings indicate that the marginal position of arts education in the curriculum, minimal school facilities, and low social recognition are factors that hinder welfare, impacting motivation and professional identity. In particular, unstable employment status contributes to the worsening economic conditions of educators. As a solution, this study offers a model for strengthening professional capital that integrates human, social, and decision-making dimensions through the development of artistic competencies and the expansion of creative community networks. The main conclusion emphasizes that improving arts teacher welfare requires inclusive systemic policy transformation, not simply financial incentives. The integration of pedagogical autonomy and strong institutional support is essential to strengthen the strategic position of art teachers as creative agents to support the sustainability of the quality of art education in Indonesia in a holistic and sustainable manner for the future of the nation by strengthening the pillars of a just, equitable, competitive, and comprehensive national culture.

The article examines contemporary pedagogical methods for working with gifted students in arts education institutions, aimed at the comprehensive development of their creative potential, emotional intelligence, and professional selfrealization. Based on the analysis of current research and practical experience, the study identifies key directions in fostering artistic giftedness – individualization of learning, project-based and research activities, mentoring, art coaching, creative laboratories, digital technology integration, and a reflective-analytical approach. It is substantiated that effective work with gifted students requires the creation of a flexible educational environment that combines traditional and innovative teaching methods, stimulates creativity, critical thinking, and social engagement. Practical recommendations are proposed to improve the system of working with gifted students in arts education institutions.

Art education in Ukraine is currently facing challenges related to limited access to educational resources and disruptions to traditional learning formats. Therefore, the development of effective approaches to supporting students' artistic competence has become increasingly important.The study aimed to determine the efficiency of blended education in the formation of artistic competence of students in higher artistic educational institutions in Ukraine. The study involved 50 students, divided into control and experimental groups (25 people each). The study used mixed methods and was quasi-experimental research design. Purposive sampling was used. Pre-Test, Post-Test, creative project, expert assessments, and questionnaires were used. Quantitative data were processed using descriptive statistics, t-tests for independent samples, and analysis of dynamics (Δ). The results showed that in the experimental group, after the application of mixed learning, the level of theoretical knowledge and technical skills increased. Students in the experimental group achieved higher results in key components of artistic competence: theoretical knowledge, technical skills, creative innovation, and reflexivity. In particular, the total artistic competence index in this group increased by an average of 13.8 points, while in the control group it increased by only 6.3 points. All differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001). The conclusions indicate that there is effectiveness of blended learning in art education, however, even in the conditions of modern challenges. Specific practical recommendations and directions for further research are proposed, considering the identified limitations.

Against the backdrop of in-depth globalization and multicultural coexistence, art education, as the core carrier of aesthetic education, undertakes the important mission of cultural inheritance, aesthetic cultivation, and cross-cultural communication. At present, China's art education still has problems such as a single content, superficial integration of multiculturalism, and an imbalance between local and foreign cultures, which makes it difficult to meet the educational requirements of the new era. Supported by multicultural education theory, aesthetic education theory, and cultural symbiosis theory, this paper systematically explores the necessity, practical value, existing problems and their causes of multicultural integration in art education by adopting literature research method, investigation research method and case analysis method, and puts forward targeted practical paths from six dimensions including educational philosophy, textbook construction and teaching methods. The research aims to promote art education to break through the traditional paradigm, realize the organic unity of inheriting local culture and learning from excellent foreign cultures, improve students' aesthetic literacy and cultural confidence, and provide theoretical reference and practical guidance for the high-quality development of China's art education.

Against the background of the in-depth advancement of the "Artificial Intelligence + Education" Action Plan jointly issued by five ministries and commissions including the Ministry of Education, artificial intelligence technology has gradually penetrated into the entire process of art education and teaching, putting forward new requirements for art teachers' teaching ability in the new era and injecting new momentum into the high-quality development of art education. At present, the group of art teachers in China generally has problems such as weak ability in applying artificial intelligence, insufficient integration of teaching and artificial intelligence, and inadequate ability adaptation, which makes it difficult to fully implement the policy requirements and meet the development needs of art education in the intelligent era. Guided by this Action Plan and combined with the professional characteristics of art education such as fine arts, music, and design, this paper adopts the methods of literature research, questionnaire survey, and case analysis to systematically sort out the core requirements of the policy for art teachers' teaching ability, in-depth analyze the current situation, prominent problems, and underlying causes of art teachers' teaching ability, focus on exploring targeted paths for improving teaching ability, and construct a comprehensive and implementable guarantee mechanism. It aims to provide theoretical reference and practical guidance for promoting art teachers to adapt to the reform of intelligent education, improve the quality of art teaching, and implement the requirements of the "Artificial Intelligence + Education" Action Plan, so as to help the intelligent and high-quality development of art education.

This article investigates art as an educational artifact capable of mobilizing processes of memory, narrative, and identity construction in educational contexts. Through a qualitative approach and bibliographic review, it analyzes how artistic practices function as mediators between individual and collective experiences, allowing the retrieval and re-elaboration of cultural memories. The study is based on theories of social memory, critical pedagogy, and studies on art education, highlighting that the aesthetic experience enables not only recollection but also the re-signification of experiences and the affirmation of historically invisibilized identities. The results point to the power of art as a language that articulates past, present, and future, constituting itself as a fundamental tool for emancipatory educational processes and for the construction of a pedagogy of memory. The objective is to analyze art as a pedagogical device for accessing memory, investigating the mechanisms through which artistic practices enable the weaving of narratives and the retrieval of identities. The dialogue between art, memory, and education is supported by an interdisciplinary theoretical framework that encompasses philosophy, history, pedagogy, and cultural studies, bringing together diverse theorists from different eras and varied contexts.

ABSTRACT This qualitative study explores pre-service early childhood teachers’ perceptions of preparing and implementing art activities that integrate natural and sustainable materials through holistic and experience-based approaches. Conducted within the Art Education in Early Childhood course offered in a teacher education programme at a state university in Turkey, the research adopted a case study design grounded in the interpretive paradigm. Data were collected from 78 participants through 16 focus group interviews and analyzed using inductive content analysis. The findings revealed that pre-service teachers valued creativity, collaboration, and hands-on learning while recognising the pedagogical and environmental benefits of using natural and sustainable materials. These activities were found to foster imagination, reflective thinking, and awareness of children’s developmental needs. However, participants reported challenges related to material organisation, time management, age-appropriate activity design, and classroom management. The experience further enabled them to link theory with practice and develop a deeper understanding of effective teaching strategies. Overall, the study highlights the importance of experiential and reflective learning in enhancing teacher preparation and underscores that integrating natural and sustainable materials into art-based pedagogies can promote meaningful, cost-effective, and environmentally conscious learning experiences that support teachers’ professional growth.

The use of digital tools and adaptive learning systems has changed the modern art education greatly by making it flexible, personalized, and interactive. Conventional in person training is usually constrained in terms of accessibility, personal feedback and resources. Adaptive digital learning systems solve these issues by means of applying artificial intelligence and data analytics and interactive multimedia tools to customize learning material and content based on artistic talents, learning speeds, and creativity that the students have. This paper discusses the theoretical and technological underpinnings of adaptive online platforms in art education as well as its educational implications. It investigates the use of virtual studios, digital drawing instruments, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and collaborative multimedia space in improving artistic experimentation and creativity. The study also examines the algorithms of personalization, AI-informed feedback, and adaptive evaluation models that facilitate the process of unceasing enhancement of artistic learning outcomes. Findings suggest that adaptive online platforms can equally contribute to creativity and engagement in addition to increasing accessibility to a wide range of learners through flexible learning opportunities and inclusive learning materials.

Art expresses the mind, while science reveals its physical manifestation. Art and science are companions on the same path- For both, the pursuit of truth is the ultimate goal. Art is the goddess of beauty and science is the god of the sublime. One embodies emotion and sensitivity, while the other embodies rationality. Humans not only create images through imagination and find solutions through logic but imagination also leads to inventions and logic gives rise to principles of creation. Although art and science are distinct fields, they are so intertwined that the existence of one without the other is difficult. In the creative process of art, when observation, understanding, and imagination culminate in giving form to a creation, an understanding of the technical aspects of the medium becomes absolutely essential. This craftsmanship is science. The colors of painting, the meter of poetry the grammar of literature—all are aspects of science that adorn a creation with beauty. Every work of art has two aspects: its emotional aspect and its technical aspect- When we talk about art, we are usually referring to the emotional aspect, although this is its primary function- Art serves to express human emotions, but without the technical aspect] these emotions cannot be expressed effectively. Mere sentimentality alone does not lead to achievement unless it is accompanied by skillful execution.This is where science plays its role. There are many techniques in art that are considered scientifically sound- In painting, for example, principles such as perspective, dimension theory, the Loomis method, color theory, the golden ratio, the Vitruvian man, and chiaroscuro etc have made art education simpler and more accessible- In the Indian context scientific principles like the Shadanga (six limbs of painting), Rasa theory, and iconography have created wonderful expressions of abstract subjects like religion and spirituality. Art uses the logic of science to create, while science uses the imagination of art to explore truth.

Inclusive education represents the idea of recognising diverse students with disabilities and special needs who were hitherto traditionally educated through special education systems, the right and privilege to be fully educated in the mainstream schools alongside their regular peers. It also requires that, learners with disability and special-needs be provided with adequate resources and supports to meaningfully access the mainstream schools. This study therefore sought to examine the resources and support systems available for the implementation of inclusive education in one of Ghana’s public universities. The researchers adopted the phenomenological paradigm of the qualitative design and case study approach, which involved the Departments of Graphic Design and Art Education, with the Department of Special Education used to complement data. To gather compelling data in accord with the overarching aim of the study, in-depth interviews and observations were conducted along with simple frequency counts from the students’ questionnaire. The findings from the study suggest that the lecturers and their students with special-needs/disabilities mostly agreed they were under-resourced, and this negatively affected the effective implementation of inclusive education in the University. Amongst the thoughts proffered as a way out was the need for the university authorities to formulate and operationalise a strategic plan toward the provision, regular impact assessment and maintenance of resources and support services for students with special-needs and disabilities.