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Open research questions in Art Education and Development

136 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 10,076 Art Education and Development papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • 1. Literature Review and Theorisation We have removed the theoretical similarities table and reworked the literature review to focus on: understandings of ABR and the different ways in which it is implemented; and existing research into the use of ABR by EdD students. R2 - The originality of the manuscript could be enhanced by clarifying the distinctiveness of the approach to ABR that has been taken, in particular, whether ABR is the focus of methodological innovation, or being used primarily as an illustrative supplement to more established research methods See Pink (2025), or do the creative artefacts play a supportive role in enriching written reflection/autoethnography? R1 - I challenge the idea of "theorisation" or even "theory" here. These are descriptions about the EdD and about ABR. What might be more valuable is a systematic engagement with the literature on ABR and the theoretical roots that underlie this approach. I would like to hear more about the 6 studies found on the EdD and ABR, and about how ABR is conceptualized in this study in relation to the extensive literature on ABR. Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education EC - I would advise the authors to re-approach the literature review, writing what is needed to address the key elements of the research question of this paper. The argument that you are making that ABR and the EdD share a theoretical affinity seems less persuasive than the possible argument about the place/absence of ABR in the EdD: why is this the case, and how this connects to wider debates about the purpose of the EdD, its imagined connections to practice, and methodological gatekeeping that ensues because of this?

    Why ABR? Illustrating the affordances of arts-based research for the professional doctorate in education · 2026 · DOI

  • Based on the findings of this review, several actionable strategies are proposed to help photography educators integrate AI into teaching practices while maintaining a strong emphasis on creativity, ethics, and critical thinking. Encourage Critical Comparison Between AI and Manual Work Assignments that require students to create both AI-assisted and manually edited versions of the same image can foster reflective learning. By comparing results and discussing their decision-making processes, students become more conscious of how automation influences their aesthetic choices and technical approaches. These activities help preserve core photographic skills while promoting metacognitive awareness of the tools in use. Integrate Ethics and Authorship into the Curriculum Given the complex ethical terrain associated with AI-generated imagery, photography programs should include dedicated modules or learning units focused on authorship, manipulation, and digital ethics. This includes exploring questions such as: Who owns AI-enhanced work? How can students disclose AI usage in their creative process? What constitutes original artistic expression when AI plays a significant role? Classroom discussions, guest lectures, and case studies can reinforce students' ethical reasoning and equip them to make informed choices. Support Educator Development in AI Pedagogy Educators need institutional support and professional development to engage meaningfully with AI in the classroom. Training workshops, collaborative platforms, and communities of practice can empower instructors to remain pedagogically responsive to emerging technologies. These initiatives should emphasise both the practical use of AI tools and the philosophical questions surrounding their educational application. Design Hybrid Curricula That Retain Foundational Skills Curriculum designers should aim to create hybrid syllabi that blend AI-enhanced processes with traditional, hands-on photographic methods. This balance ensures that students retain vital tactile and observational skills—such as controlling exposure manually or working with film—while also exploring the experimental potential of AI. In doing so, students develop a dual literacy that allows them to critically engage with both analogue and digital visual cultures. Promote Conceptual Exploration Over Technical Perfection While AI can deliver technically polished results, it is the conceptual depth and personal vision behind an image that defines meaningful artistic work. Educators should, therefore, prioritise assignments that encourage storytelling, interpretive risk-taking, and creative problem-solving, even if this leads to imperfect technical execution. AI tools should be framed as options—not as solutions—that students can choose to include or reject based on their intent and message.

    Balancing creativity and technology: The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in photography classrooms · 2026 · DOI

  • Lastly, while the review aimed for global relevance, most included studies were situated in Western or Global North contexts, with limited representation from African or Global South settings—a gap that future research should address. While the study offers a broad overview of current literature, it is limited by the rapidly evolving nature of AI technologies.

    Balancing creativity and technology: The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in photography classrooms · 2026 · DOI

  • 521 | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. East African Journal of Education Studies, Volume 9, Issue 1, 2026 Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.37284/eajes.9.1.4465 augmented should be To improve the implementation of Competence- Based Education (CBE) in Visual Arts within Mbarara City, it is essential to undertake several interconnected measures. The capacity of educators through continuous, professional subject-specific development programs that emphasise the design of competency-based lesson plans, the application the of authentic assessment strategies, and utilisation of practical, hands-on teaching approaches. Furthermore, the establishment of structured mentorship and peer-collaboration initiatives is recommended to support novice and less experienced educators, thereby enabling them to effectively translate curriculum competencies into classroom practices. The allocation of resources is of equal importance. Educational institutions ought to be furnished with sufficient art materials, well-designed studio environments, and access to digital technologies that support experiential and project-based learning. Timetables should be revised to provide adequate periods for practical instruction and ongoing assessment, thereby ensuring students have opportunities to cultivate and demonstrate their creative, technical, and problem-solving abilities.

    Visual Arts Practices, Needs, and Challenges in the Implementation of Competence-Based Education in Selected Schools in Mbarara City, Uganda · 2026 · DOI

  • Conclusions The study reveals that the implementation of Competence-Based Education (CBE) in Visual Arts within selected schools in Mbarara City is characterised by the emergence of learner-centred practices, such as project-based learning, practical studio activities, and collaborative assignments. Nonetheless, applied these practices inconsistently due to large class sizes, limited on instructional conventional assessment methods.

    Visual Arts Practices, Needs, and Challenges in the Implementation of Competence-Based Education in Selected Schools in Mbarara City, Uganda · 2026 · DOI

  • Elementary teachers' beliefs and practices pertaining to freedom of learning curriculum reform policy: a qualitative study Mustofa et al., International Journal of Education and Practice, 2023 Pre-service music teachers' satisfaction with the teacher education curriculum in northern china Lin Fang et al., International Journal of Education and Practice, 2024 A study on the research-oriented teaching courses reform in chinese colleges and universities Xin-Peng Shi et al., International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 2015 Thoughts on the reform of integrated art education curriculum at traditional chinese medicine colleges and universities CHEN Ming et al., Education of Chinese Medicine, 2025 Factors affecting deep learning of efl students in higher vocational colleges under small private online courses-based settings: a grounded theory approach Journal of Computer Assisted Learning…

    Curriculum reform and teaching quality as predictors of student satisfaction: The mediating role of learning in oil painting education in China · 2026 · DOI

  • Online teaching and learning cannot replace face-to-face studio-based learning completely. However, for studio-based modules, this study recommends that “digital mock-up making” remains part of the period-of-disruption facilitation modules to facilitate the continuity of teaching and learning. However, for digital studio learning to be effectively implemented, students must have access to technology, constant internet connectivity, a steady power supply, and high-performance computers. Moreover, integrating digital mock-up making into regular curricula will provide flexibility and accessibility; various tools and resources can be accessed to integrate multimedia, and collaboration among the students and their lecturers will be easier. Also, cloud storage of their files and digital portfolio development that could easily be shared with potential clients and employers could sustainably mitigate their lack of storage facilities. Although this intervention was only applied in the communication design module, implementation is recommended in other art and design-related courses such as Fashion Design, Jewellery Design, and Digital Sculpting. Digital mock-up making could be an alternative pedagogy during disruptions caused by pandemics, natural disasters, and prolonged student impasses.

    Using a Digital Studio as an alternative to engaging communication design students: Implications for a post-COVID-19 pandemic lockdown era · 2026 · DOI

  • This study concludes that as far as art is concerned, the power of the gaze, particularly that of the subject directed upon the audience, remains extremely potent in the way portraits are interpreted, and by extension, how human beings bridge the gap in understanding 482 | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.

    How Students Interact with Eyes: Use of the Gaze in Drawing as A Conduit for the Expression of Feelings and Emotions Among Fine Art Students at Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya · 2026 · DOI

  • Within this context, clay-based art offers a potentially meaningful medium through which children can translate lived experience into three-dimensional expression, yet limited research has examined how children’s prior knowledge of a physical material relates to their artistic performance and emerging aesthetic learning.

    Material Familiarity and Aesthetic Learning in Early Childhood: A Mixed-Methods Study of Clay Art in Jepara, Indonesia · 2026 · DOI

  • While graph theory plays a foundational role in informatics and computational thinking (CT), its instruction in elementary education remains underexplored, particularly through embodied or arts-based methods.

    Embodied Learning of Graphs: A Psychodramatic Approach in Primary School · 2026 · DOI

  • Drawing on Canadian case studies from Emily Carr University of Art + Design and OCAD University, this topics piece highlights three collaborative initiatives—(1) a series of workshops and presentations, (2) the development of open access educational resources, and (3) the launch of a student research design award—all of which strive to bridge gaps in understanding and compliance.

    Conducting creative research: Research ethics and research conduct in art and design · 2025 · DOI

  • Future Research: Based on drawbacks that emerged from the study, such as the sampling method and the sample size, future research should focus on targeting larger and more diverse samples from across different regions of the United States, as well as integrating objective measures to complement self-reported data.

    Exploring Higher Education Faculty Insights on Generative AI in Creative Courses · 2025 · DOI

  • However, it has often been noted in the specialized literature that the incorporation of the arts into STEAM proposals is often at the service of the other disciplines, in that authentic artistic content is scarce or non-existent.

    The Impact of Integrated STEAM Education on Arts Education: A Systematic Review · 2023 · DOI

  • Our conclusions reflect on some necessary considerations with which to achieve an authentic and meaningful integration of the arts within STEAM education, opening the door to a conversation on what was previously a gap in the literature.

    The Impact of Integrated STEAM Education on Arts Education: A Systematic Review · 2023 · DOI

  • Abstract Since craft education was absorbed into higher education (HE), the concept of crafts and the demographic profiles of crafts practitioners have evolved, yet little is known about the extent to which craft programmes in HE are adapting to 21st‐century changes and trends.

    Designing Sustainable Craft Curricula: Balancing Academic and Practical Training · 2022 · DOI

  • Research exploring the influences of cultural experiences, future imaginations and aspirations on the formation of pedagogy among immigrant Early Childhood (EC) educators remains scarce.

    From padhana (पढन) to play pedagogy: a collaborative autoethnography of an immigrant early childhood educator · 2022 · DOI

  • Drawing on the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture Lecture Archive in the collection of the Archives of American Art, this essay asks what we might learn both about and from the artist talk, a form of public address that is ubiquitous, understudied, and perhaps even a dialogic model beyond the bounds of art.

    Ways of Speaking and Listening: The Artist Talk · 2021 · DOI

  • The results justify further investigation into the congruence of the arts and SEL, exploring examples of SEL instruction in the arts, and the development of consistent messages for arts education utilizing SEL.

    A vision for Social Emotional Learning and arts education policy · 2020 · DOI

  • The integration of art with daily life is not limited to the past: Młodzi i teatr (‘Youth and the Theatre’) report prepared by the Malta Festival Foundation in Poznań (2013) shows its usefulness in the educational practice.

    Idea integracji sztuki z życiem w praktyce pedagogicznej (na podstawie badań młodzieżowych zespołów artystycznych) · 2018 · DOI

  • We outline an alternative perspective on transfer in PAS in general, and in arts and crafts and PE specifically that could be investigated more carefully to further the development of a more robust knowledge field.

    From general transfer to deep learning as argument for practical aesthetic school subjects? · 2017 · DOI

  • While this may appear as a common‐sense claim that reflects the tacit assumptions most art educators have about students' critical dispositions in art, it is also evident that little is known about the deeper structures underlying students’ critical reasoning and how such structures shape students’ interpretations of artworks.

    Mind, Language and Artworks as Real Constraints on Students' Critical Reasoning about Meaning in Art · 2017 · DOI

  • Keeping with the precedent set by our former VAR Senior Editors, every year, we will continue to publish one open issue and one themed special issue that is guest edited.

    Common Threads: Formally Addressing Informal Spaces, Identity, and Blurring · 2016 · DOI

  • Since its publication in 1943, art‐education enthusiasts seem to hold that Read was on the right track, but that ETA suffers from a lack of evidence – a mere technicality that can be amended when research advances.

    Art Conquers All? Herbert Read's <i>Education through Art</i> · 2015 · DOI

  • With a growing emphasis in schools on academic achievement, which is strictly limited to the core subjects of English, Maths, and Science, the arts offer a useful and creative system of learning, implicit with their own diverse range of skills that quite readily apply to everyday life and enhance children's self-concept.

    Wombat Stew · 2013 · DOI

  • Barone and Eisner (2012) posed such an open question, asking: How may we employ “the arts methodologically to reveal what the arts make possible in various situations?” (p.

    Methodology in the Afterglow · 2013 · DOI

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136 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 10,076 Art Education and Development papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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