International Journal of Education & the Arts

Citation: Naghshbandi, S. (2025). Disrupting art curriculum: A design-based research approach to integrating visual and auditory awareness: A case study in Iran's elementary schools. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 26(11). http://doi.org/10.26209/ijea26n11

This paper presents a micro-cycle of design, detailing an experiential art workshop conducted with first to third-grade students in an elementary school in Iran. The four-session educational program aimed to prompt children to explore the school environment through leveraging visual and sound arts as investigative tools. Drawing on a Design-Based Research approach, the objective of this project is to design an educational toolkit to be adapted by art educators. The toolkit aims to enhance children’s knowledge and awareness of their environments, promote collaborative and interactive learning incorporating both visual and auditory stimuli. The main research questions revolve around how to motivate elementary school children to explore their surroundings and how we can support art educators in facilitating this exploration. Data was collected in the form of digital video and audio recordings, photographs, children’s artworks and their explanations. The lessons learned from this stage of the research provide guidance to refine the design of the multi-sensory educational toolkit. The toolkit, once improved, has the potential to assist educators in facilitating the exploration process and enabling children to establish a more profound connection with their environment.