Student Engagement with Fine Arts in the General Education Classroom

In this research, I discovered a multitude of avenues that teachers can incorporate fine arts into the curriculum; furthermore, I examined many of the positive attributes for students through the incorporation of fine arts into the classroom. The fine arts are characterized as any task that involves creative thought such as creative writing, dance, music, theater/film, visual arts, pottery, and architecture. Student engagement is defined into three categories: behavior, emotional, and cognitive engagement (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004). Behavioral engagement is described as students following classroom rules and norms and having continuous concentration during academic tasks. Emotional engagement is indicated when students demonstrate interests, feelings, and commitment to instructional tasks. Cognitive engagement refers to students’ critical thinking skills that affect their motivation and effort. In this self-study, 25 students participated from a rural school in a 4th grade classroom within Central Illinois. For my self-study, I collected my data from field notes based on my observation notes, student work, anecdotal student observations and responses, and informal and formal feedback from students. Analysis of data supports that the incorporation of fine arts within the general education classroom and curriculum allowed for an enhanced student engagement.