The aim of this paper is to ascertain the main subject qualities in Junior Cycle (JC) Visual Art (VA) in The Republic of Ireland, and whether these qualities are unique to the subject. The context of JC VA education is outlined through the exploration of its values, aims and objectives as well as investigating the subject's unique qualities. A…

In this study, a group of seven teacher educators report on how they embarked on a process of collaborative autoethnography to uncover the problems and possibilities of teaching arts education using digital methodologies. Arising from the pressing need to pivot from in-person, campus-based teaching to online modes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the…

Background: In the contemporary recent education landscape, an inventive paradigm known as "STEAM" has emerged, which augments the erstwhile STEM framework by incorporating the dimension of "Art". STEAM endeavors to enhance students' capacities for creativity, innovation, and design thinking. Among the various forms of artistic…

Across Europe, educational institutions are essential in assisting exploration of politics, culture and history, and the use of creative arts appears crucial to supporting this aim. This article reports on Creative Connections, a multi-partner research project that facilitated exchanges for young people to explore their European identities using…

The European Framework for Key Competences (2006) promotes a shared European identity as a priority for assuring a cohesive future for the European Union (EU), yet the development of a discrete European identity remains acutely contentious, with critics claiming it is too shallow to support the bonds of solidarity needed to engender and support a…

This paper reports the findings of a study on pre-service teachers' background and confidence in music and visual arts education. The study involved 939 non-specialist pre-service primary teachers from five countries. Initially the paper identifies the students' perceptions of their background and confidence in relation to music and visual arts…

This study examines the interrelationships among art, play and "real" life, as perceived by young children. Twenty-one children aged four and five in their first year of formal schooling in Ireland, were observed during art-related play activities and classes over a period of four months in 2004. Research data consisted of art works…