Abstract
This paper demonstrates the importance of art and design in education and how it has a positive impact on social cohesion and socio-economic status. It examines how art can be used as part of education, to equip learners with social skills and how design can help in cognitive development (Karbasi-Amel et al., 2023). Its particular importance in areas of low socio-economic status (SES), addresses how it can ameliorate preschool learners and those in education, in these and other geographical areas. Social influences shape who we are, is learned from a young age (Heckman, 2013, p. 26), is embedded in schools (Bar-Tal, 2000, xii) and is of importance for educating teenage learners (Goodyear, 2018/2019 p. 95; Welsh Government, 2022). Utilising Art and design skills can have a positive impact in educational development and can contribute to better school attendance, aid socio-economic development and improve wellbeing. Whilst there are variations on the term ‘social cohesion’ (Chan et al., 2006), it is used here to describe a sense of belonging and interpersonal connection within society. Social cohesion is a critical societal issue in expeditious globalization (Green et al., 2006, p. 1) and is fundamental both physiologically and psychologically (Sandstrom & Dunn, 2014) however it is exacerbated by detrimental socio-economic conditions (Crowe et al., 2021). This paper argues that art and design can be successfully used, to enable not only the development of social education but is of significant benefit in learning STEM subjects as part of the school curriculum (Ng & Chan, 2019).
Author Information
Julie Brown, Cardiff Metropolitan University, United Kingdom
Paper Information
Conference: IICAH2025
Stream: Arts - Social
This paper is part of the IICAH2025 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Brown J. (2025) Social Cohesion in Education: The Benefits of Embedding Art and Design in a Learning Environment ISSN: 2432-4604 – The IAFOR International Conference on Arts & Humanities – Hawaii 2025 Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 367-382) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2432-4604.2025.31
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2432-4604.2025.31
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