Arts-Based Methods in Education Research in Japan

This volume, created by seventeen interdisciplinary authors, brings together pioneering practices that introduce arts into education in Japan. The field of research ranges from kindergarten, primary and secondary school to liberal arts and postgraduate courses at university. The chapters cover both formal and informal settings, such as museums and after school programs. The genres of art include visual art, performance, dance, vocal music, and drama.

Arts-based or arts-inspired methods help students’ artistic inquiry through creative or performative practices, leading to new findings that might not otherwise be described. Artistic practice makes students reflect on their own bodies, emotions, feelings, ways of life, and relationships with others, which leads to creative thinking.

The volume is based on three new trends in art and education: 1) the development of Arts-Based Research in Japan since its introduction from abroad; 2) the introduction of art practice into academic research in various disciplines and diverse educational settings; and 3) the new trend in drama education and theatrical performance in Japan.

Each chapter inspires and provokes discussion among researchers and practitioners in various educational settings on the future direction of art education in Japan and around the world.

Kayoko Komatsu, Ph.D. (2004), University of Tokyo, is Professor of Nagaoka Institute of Design. She has published monographs and articles on art and education, including The Possibilities of Art Education: Creative Practice and Arts-Based Research (in Japanese, Keiso Shobo 2018).
Kikuko Takagi, Ph.D. (2019), University of Tokyo, is Project Assistant Professor of Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at that university. She has published articles on art creation processes in journals such as Cognitive Studies: Bulletin of the Japanese Cognitive Science Society.
Hiroaki Ishiguro, Ph.D. (1994), Keio University, is Professor of Educational Psychology at Rikkyo University. He has published many books and articles on human learning and development including What Do Children Learn in Their Classrooms (in Japanese, University of Tokyo Press, 2016).
Takeshi Okada, Ph.D. (1994), Carnegie Mellon University, is Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Tokyo. He has published several books and many articles on artistic creativity, including Multidisciplinary Approaches to Art Learning and Creativity (Routledge, 2020).