Can Adding Arts to Other Subjects Boost Students' Social and Emotional Skills? The REIMAGINED Project Report

This report, published in 2023, represents a significant step forward in educational research, offering valuable insights into the intersection of socio-emotional education (SEE) and arts education across Europe.

Project Overview: The REIMAGINED project aims to establish a practical educational paradigm that links Socio-Emotional Education (SEE) with arts education through a cross-curricular and extracurricular approach. By fostering an integrated learning environment, the project seeks to address the growing recognition of the importance of social and emotional aspects in education, particularly in shaping well-rounded and successful individuals.

Key Highlights of the Report: The report presents a comprehensive intervention framework that addresses the training needs of educators, assesses students' socio-emotional needs, emphasizes interactive learning, and outlines a school-wide action plan. The research involved extensive collaboration, with contributions from 85 teachers, 48 educational professionals, and 45 students from Greece, Hungary, and Italy, who participated in surveys and focus group interviews.

The report is structured into several critical sections, including:

• A theoretical framework for understanding social-emotional competence.
• An overview of the most widely implemented SEE frameworks, models, and arts-integrated practices in EU countries.
• Identified training needs through surveys on designing SEE programs.
• Insights from focus groups in partner countries regarding national policy frameworks promoting SEE.
• A detailed discussion on the framework study of students' needs and teachers' training requirements.
• Intervention methods conducted in Greece, Hungary, and Italy.

Why Social-Emotional Education Matters: In recent years, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has become increasingly important as educators, parents, and policymakers recognize the vital role of social and emotional education in student development. SEL focuses on developing awareness and skills in emotional, social, and behavioral domains, ultimately promoting overall well-being and positive life outcomes. Social-emotional competence, the goal of SEE and SEL, is essential for student success both inside and outside the classroom.

The Role of Arts-Integrated Practices: The REIMAGINED project places particular emphasis on how arts-integrated practices can enhance students' social-emotional competence. By integrating arts into the curriculum, teachers can create instructional practices that not only impart knowledge but also foster essential social and emotional skills. This approach has been exemplified by STEAM workshops organized by the Innovative Learning Environment (ILE) research group at the University of Jyväskylä, where hands-on, multidisciplinary activities align with the objectives of phenomenon-based learning.

Impact on Finnish Education: In Finland, arts-integrated practices, such as those demonstrated in STEAM workshops, have proven highly effective in aligning with national and local curriculum goals. These practices allow for a holistic approach to education, enabling students to engage in multidisciplinary learning while developing their social and emotional skills. Finnish educators, who enjoy considerable creative freedom, can tailor their teaching to meet the diverse needs of their students, making Finland a leader in innovative education.

Research Collaboration: The report was authored by a team of experts, including Takumi Yada, Kristof Fenyvesi, Matias Mäki-Kuutti, Orsolya Tuba, Ioanna Papadopoulou, Despoina Gligori, Vassilis Mitropoulos, Elisa Carboni, Valentina Ciarpaglini, Dóra Vera Halász, and Virág Suhajda. This collaboration across multiple countries reflects the project's commitment to fostering international cooperation in education.

Publication Details: Title: A Whole-school Intervention Framework for Enhancing Social and Emotional Skills in Secondary Schools through Arts-Integrated Practices

Published by: Finnish Institute for Educational Research

Reports and Working Papers 3

ISSN: 2954-1344

ISBN: 978-951-39-9653-6 (PDF)

Permanent link: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-39-9653-6

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17011/ktl-rt/3

License: This publication is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

Cover: Martti Minkkinen

Jyväskylä 2023

Contact Information: Dr. Kristof Fenyvesi

Researcher of STEAM Learning & Contemporary Culture Studies

Finnish Institute for Educational Research

Agora, B435.2

PO Box 35, FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä

Phone: +358 40 805 3324

Email: kristof.fenyvesi@jyu.fi