This study tested 2 hypotheses: (a) tactile experience is critical to the effect of creation of clay work in enhancing psychological well-being, and (b) sense of temperature is one of the mediating factors that underlies the effectiveness of tactile experience. Using an experimental research design, 36 Chinese adult participants created clay work…

Empathy is fundamental in our abilities to achieve healthy, happy, socially successful lives. The importance of its inclusion in educational pedagogical practices and classroom instruction is highly emphasized, yet very little research has been conducted to examine artistic exercises as effective ways for promoting empathy through pedagogy. VTS is…

As in the case of the 80th anniversary of Picasso's "Guernica," painted in 1937, museums can incorporate significant dates and anniversaries into their educational programming. The University of Navarra Museum has taken advantage of the opportunity presented by this anniversary to present an educational project entitled…

Four young Australian children participated in research in which they shared their photographs and narratives of art experiences in their homes, early childhood centre and school. Drawing on Dewey's theories on art as experience, this article analyses some of the ways these 4- and 5-year-old children enjoyed satisfying art experiences, primarily…

In this study, we examined the relationships between the attachment dimensions of anxiety and avoidance and participant reactions to using a range of art materials typically employed in art therapy. Participants (N = 409) engaged in art making with one of five materials: markers, oil pastels, gouache paint, finger paint, or clay. It was expected…

New Zealand has faced an unprecedented series of disaster events in recent years. The Canterbury earthquakes provided an opportunity to document the role that schools played in supporting their communities to respond to and recover from such events. It is important that we capture what we have learnt from these experiences to help other schools in…

This paper describes a community art therapy group for people living with chronic pain. Nine adults were offered 12 weekly group art therapy sessions that included art therapy activities such as guided imagery focusing on body scans followed by art responses and artistic expressions of the pain experience. This pilot group art therapy program is…

Alexithymia is characterized by deficits in the ability to identify, differentiate, and describe emotions--abilities that are of importance for social interactions, well-being, and, consequently, also for health. The aim of this study was to investigate whether achievements in cultural activities are associated with alexithymia. Participants from…

Assisting every student with special needs to give scope to their talents and to possess healthy personality and mature social skill that advance their careers at their working places is far from being easy. Within the domains of special education, students are placed in relative disadvantage when they bear cultural differences, and mental or…

Adult coloring books have flooded the market with titles alluding to therapeutic value, yet it is unclear whether they fulfil that promise. Here, we tested whether adult coloring was related to improvements in psychological outcomes. Female university students (n = 104) were randomly assigned to a coloring intervention or a logic-puzzle control…

Diverse education professionals learned about African cultures in a workshop experience by making African masks using authentic symbolism. Analysis of reflections to evaluate the workshop for applicability to participants with and without African heritage showed that both groups expanded their cultural knowledge of traditional African ethnic…

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to assess the construct validity of the modified Greek version of the "Scale of Athlete Satisfaction" presented by Theodorakis and Bebetsos (2003) in the broader academic research sector and specifically in the field of Open and Distance Learning; and (2) to examine if variables such as sex,…

The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of a most to least prompting procedure in the learning of practical leisure skills for adults with autism. The selected activity was making a basket form from clay and was carried out with two adults in the clay studio at a private center for special education for individuals with autism. A…

A survey of the managers of 34 residential homes in the United Kingdom found that art activities were the most commonly available form of creative leisure occupation, and drama the least available. Managers perceived the major barrier to creative leisure participation to be the expense. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Presents the findings from a Russian survey that investigated directions for corrective-upbringing work with preschool age children who have deficiencies in mental development. Explains that the degree and amount of corrective work depends on the severity of the impairment. Focuses on different components of corrective-upbringing, such as the…