Researchers and policy makers alike have acknowledged the need for teachers to reflect on experience and to experience agency in and out of the classroom (Beauchamp, 2015; Chen et al., 2012; Elbaz-Lewisch, 2010). In order to contribute to discussions of innovative strategies of teacher development, this interpretive case study explored the…

Although art therapy has been used for over 100 years as an adjunctive treatment method for physical and mental health disorders, the research findings regarding the efficacy of this approach have been mixed and inconclusive. Reviews of the current literature on the efficacy of art therapy have noted the field lacks well-controlled studies.…

Although spirituality has gained more attention from postsecondary higher education leaders as a conceptual channel for meaning making, little is understood about student perspectives and definitions of spirituality. These studies explored student narratives on spirituality and leadership at a nonfaith based public institution in Southern…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the use of art as a pedagogical tool with pre-service art teachers in a graduate-level art education class. A curriculum was developed focusing on educational social justice theories and their application in regard to gender inequity and diversity issues. The goal was to lead students to…

The role of arts education has been discussed at length throughout the United States for many years. Arts educational programs have maintained resounding successes in graduation and attendance statistics. However, it is unclear if there is a correlation or causal relationship between arts education programs and students' self-efficacy and sense of…

The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of undergraduate academic and clinical training programs for music therapy in addressing the subject of personal growth, as it relates to the development of critical self-awareness and self-care strategies. The study further attempted to identify which self-care strategies are being used…

This dissertation discusses how engaging in arts-based identity exploration activities can help traditional-age undergraduates (ages 18-24) develop increased self-awareness and cultural sensitivity. The dissertation first explores the participatory inquiry paradigm and the roles of artistic/creative expression in holistic knowledge creation and…

The purpose of this study was to explore the integration of the arts within baccalaureate nursing programs across the southeast. A literature review explored the historical relationship between art and health and nursing education. Because of the multiple facets included within art and health, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing…

The students at 2 middle schools in County SD, NHMS and WMS are not scoring on or above grade level on the information text portion of the English Language Arts (ELA) standardized SC Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (SCPASS) test given annually in South Carolina. The teachers developed and implemented art-based anchor charts to help close…

This dissertation is "A Collective Case Study of Veterans Inside an Arts and Crafts Room and Their Perceptions Regarding Empowerment." This research examined to what degree art making, and in what ways a community of learning contributed to veterans' self-worth and empowerment through their creative activities and interactions inside an…

This dissertation is an ethnography conducted with the Los Angeles-based community arts organization called Machine Project. Operating both a storefront gallery in Echo Park and as a loose association of contemporary artists, performers, curators, and designers, Machine Project seeks to make "rarefied knowledge accessible" through…

Place-based education has been forwarded as a pedagogical approach that has the potential to contextualize learning, increase student engagement, and strengthen the relationship between schools and the broader community. Despite this promise, however, many teachers struggle to develop learning experiences that incorporate the key components of…

This study examines the reactions of veteran artists to some issues associated with the process of creating visual art that can cause fear, fear significant enough to derail many professional artists and cause them to quit making art altogether. Based on the writings of Bayles and Orland and enhanced by J. M. Erikson, this study provides insight…

This narrative chronicles the story of the Lunch Bunch, a group of 4 students with autism, 1 student with a specific learning disability and their art educator/researcher as they ate lunch together and discussed creativity and at times made art. A chronological story of the Lunch Bunch was crafted utilizing narrative inquiry as the overarching…

Exploring the theory the personal is political, this critical emancipatory case study seeks to empower women and disrupt virtual world discourses via women's intervention of voice and visibility in informal learning sites. Using critical emancipatory methodology, I worked with five women to develop strategic online social network…