International Journal of Education Through Art - Volume 22, Issue 1, 2026

Design increasingly engages with complex social, cultural and ethical challenges, drawing attention not only to design outcomes but also to the moral development of designers themselves. This review examines how engagement in design processes contributes to moral literacy. Guided by PRISMA 2020 and the SPIDER framework, seven empirical studies (2006–25) were synthesized through reflexive thematic analysis. Three interrelated aspects were identified: design as a moral arena, which constitutes the situated context in which moral dilemmas are encountered and negotiated; embodied moral learning, which foregrounds how ethical awareness evolves through relational, affective and material engagement; and ethical reframing, which captures what values, roles and responsibilities are transformed through creative practice. The review reveals that moral literacy in design emerges not from theoretical instruction alone but through iterative cycles of reflection, action and value negotiation embedded in practice. It concludes by underscoring the implications for art and design education: cultivating ethical awareness should be recognized as a core pedagogical practice within the studio, where aesthetic inquiry and moral reflection intertwine to shape designers as critically self-aware and socially responsible practitioners.

This article explores experiential art curriculum from a critical feminist, crip and decolonial lens. Situated within the disciplines of critical museology and contemporary curatorial practice, this study reflects on a particular museological assignment that challenged college students to think critically about their museum experience at the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs and to become active museum visitors. In doing so, students demonstrated generative critiques of nationalistic discourse in the museum, as well as best practices for future curatorial work. They also identified access scaffolding and technological innovation. Reflecting on this pedagogical exercise and the students’ research findings, the article considers embodied engagements with visual culture, curatorial ethics and museological responsibilities from the perspective(s) of students and museum visitors and from a museum studies scholar and educator.

More than three-quarters of current teachers report experiencing burnout and intentions to exit the profession sooner than expected. Art teachers encounter unique complexities when designing curriculum since they often work independently without the district-provided resources available to colleagues. This qualitative study examines how preservice art teachers utilize AI-supported lesson planning and offers insight for teacher educators as they incorporate AI tools into teacher preparation curricula. Twenty-two preservice art educators participated in this study, using ChatGPT during their lesson planning process. Grounded in the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the study examines both cognitive and affective dimensions involved in AI integration. The results indicate three major roles of AI: creative partner for ideation and content development, technical assistant for efficiency and organization, and problematic collaborator with inherent limitations and risks. While AI enhanced pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge and idea generation for most participants, concerns emerged regarding dependency risks, communication barriers and ethical considerations. This study suggests the need to balance efficiency gains with critical engagement, emphasizing that AI should augment rather than replace teacher expertise. Teacher educators must proactively integrate AI literacy into methods courses, teaching preservice teachers to engage iteratively and critically with AI as a collaborative tool that can meaningfully reduce burnout while preserving the authenticity and professional judgment essential to quality teaching.

How as art educators and researchers can we nurture our personal and professional growth? In this article, I revisit an autoethnographic pilot study that used visual-verbal journaling as a reflexive and contemplative arts-based method to challenge traditional professional development experiences. Focusing on conference attendance as a place to develop personally and professionally, this practice-led research sought to explore researcher reflexivity and identity development and contribute to slow scholarship. Through narrative writing, alongside journal entries, this article shares my experience attending the 2023 Mind & Life Summer Research Institute, an interdisciplinary and immersive conference for contemplative researchers, educators, practitioners and the like. Findings suggest that the act of journaling can enhance an embodied engagement with conference materials, supporting stronger connections to self, to artistic practice and to professional growth. The implications of the study open possibilities for art educators/researchers, as well as conference organizers, to (re)consider how we can more artfully engage with professional development events that supports our whole, developing selves.